Toomey: No Religion Test

Member Group : U.S. Senator Pat Toomey

Toomey: Executive Order Does Not Set Forth a Religious Test; Sets Forth a National Security Test

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) issued the following statement concerning the executive order President Trump signed today: Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. Beginning on March 16, the new executive order temporarily restricts the entry of certain nationals from six counties—Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

"Today, President Trump rescinded his executive order of January 27, and issued a new order concerning the entry of certain foreign nationals into the U.S. The President laid out a sensible rationale for covering each country, explaining how these states fail to provide the information we need to vet their residents for terror ties. President Trump’s executive order does not set forth a religious test. It sets forth a national security test to protect the American people.

"The executive order also specifies that any nation can remove itself from the list by sharing information on terrorists with the United States. In this way, today’s executive order is similar to the American SAFE Act, which I and a bipartisan majority of the House and Senate supported last Congress.

"Furthermore, I was pleased to see that President Trump has taken into account concerns I raised about the previous order. For example, the new order wisely clarifies that green card holders and those who were granted visas for assisting our military will be able to enter the U.S.

"While I am still reviewing the details of today’s executive order and will closely monitor its implementation, it appears to lay out a more detailed, coordinated, and clearer set of rules that will hopefully yield less confusion about who can and cannot enter the country."

Elizabeth "E.R." Anderson
Communications Director
U.S Senator Pat Toomey
248 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
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