In the wake of Islamist terror attacks in Paris, some Democrats are joining the chorus of Republican governors and presidential candidates who've called for a pause in admitting Syrian refugees to the U.S.
Advocates for pausing the resettlement program run counter to President Barack Obama's repeated calls for settling 10,000 Syrian refugees, as well as Hillary Clinton's call for resettling 65,000.
Gathered below are seven Democrats who appear hesitant about accepting Syrian refugees.
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1. New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan — A spokesperson for the governor said this week that, "we must ensure robust refugee screening to protect American citizens, and the governor believes that the federal government should halt acceptance of refugees from Syria until intelligence and defense officials can assure that the process for vetting all refugees, including those from Syria, is as strong as possible to ensure the safety of the American people."
According to NPR, Hassan is the only Democratic governor as of Wednesday to join 29 Republican governors in calling for a pause.
2. Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York — The Senate Democratic leader-in-waiting said on Tuesday afternoon a "pause" on refugees may be necessary,
according to one NPR reporter. He reportedly told the media that he is waiting to see what the Obama administration tells senators in a classified briefing on Wednesday.
3. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California —
According to The Washington Post, the ranking member of the Senate intelligence committee said in a Tuesday statement, "In light of the Paris attacks, keeping our borders secure from ISIL terrorists must be our No. 1 priority. As part of that, we need to be very careful about Syrian refugee admissions and ensure we can continue to balance our security with helping those most in need."
4. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia —
The Hill reported that the centrist Democrat wrote a letter to the president on Monday requesting he halt Syrian refugee resettlement in the U.S. "unless federal authorities can guarantee with 100-percent assurance they are not connected" to the Islamic State.
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5. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid — On Tuesday, the senator from Nevada said that, "My personal feelings are I’m going to wait till tomorrow," on making a long-term decision on the refugee question, referring to Wednesday's scheduled classified briefing. "I don’t think at this stage we should be pausing until we get the facts," he said. "That's not exactly saying no,"
The Washington Post commented.
6. Nevada Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto — The Democrat running for Harry Reid's soon-to-be-vacated senate seat next year
said in a statement this week, "I share the concerns of some Republicans in Congress to ensure the United States Intelligence Community approves the vetting process before we accept more refugees."
7. Louisiana gubernatorial candidate John Bel Edwards — The Democrat seeking to replace current Gov. Bobby Jindal said he supports Jindal's executive order seeking to ban Syrian refugee resettlement in the state,
The Washington Post reported.
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