First appearance on FOXThe Republican senator is slamming President Biden’s administration for ignoring her questions and concerns about plans to consider admitting refugees from Gaza.
“The Biden administration is ignoring my efforts related to the Oct. 7 attack on the U.S. homeland, which shows how seriously this president takes our national security,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital.
Earlier this month, he sent a letter signed by 35 Republican senators to President Biden, demanding answers from the commander in chief following reports that the administration was considering accepting some refugees from the Gaza Strip.
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President Biden’s administration has come under fire over its plans to admit refugees from Gaza into the United States. (Getty Images)
“Instead, Biden is doubling down on a dangerous plan to welcome Hamas sympathizers into the United States, even as American lives are at risk,” Ernst said of the administration’s response.
The administration ordered the State Department to respond to the heavily signed letter.
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The response to Ernst reiterated information about the administration’s efforts to help U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and their families escape Gaza during Israel’s war with the terrorist organization Hamas.
The administration has said multiple times that it has already helped more than 1,800 people leave Gaza, many of them to the United States.
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Ernst led dozens of Republican lawmakers in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to cancel his plan to accept refugees from Gaza. (Getty Images)
Information already released by the administration did not address the Iowa Republican’s question about how many refugees authorities were considering admitting.
Ernst also asked for details about how testing of potential refugees from Gaza would be carried out.
In response, the State Department said, “The safety and security of the American people is our top priority, so all individuals from Gaza who have traveled or are planning to travel to the United States are thoroughly vetted.”
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen failed vetting processes before and I don’t want to see that repeated. If we can’t properly vet Gaza’s neighbors as friend or foe, then there’s no way the State Department can make those assessments or provide specific information without them,” Ernst told Fox News Digital.
The response, which was just over a page long, to the senators’ various questions, also failed to answer questions about logistics and consultations with neighboring countries.
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Israel has been at war with the terrorist group Hamas since the group’s October 7 attack. (Fox News Digital)
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that interagency discussions were underway about U.S. assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, citing the U.S.’ role in global humanitarian assistance.
The spokesman reiterated the same information given to senators about the 1,800 people who have already been helped out of Gaza.
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The White House did not comment to Fox News Digital.
First report CBS News Senior officials from several federal agencies claimed they were discussing options for resettlement of Palestinians who are close relatives of U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
