Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks during a press conference in Washington, D.C., in 2022.Francis Chung / E&E News/POLITICO via AP file
MADISON, WI (WSAU) – Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin has weighed in on the Biden Administration’s proposed plan to bring refugees from Gaza.
“As Tammy has continued to say, she believes the administration’s highest priorities should be achieving a mutually agreed upon ceasefire, bringing hostages home, and getting desperately needed aid into Gaza,” read a statement from Communications Director Eli Rosen, who works in Baldwin’s office. “Any refugee plan the administration releases must prioritize the safety and well-being of Americans and thoroughly vet anyone being considered.”
Politico reports that other top Democrats including Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown were also surveyed, giving mixed reviews.
CBS News has reported that the Biden administration has discussed using the US Refugee Admissions Program to offer refugee status to people who fled the Gaza Strip and entered Egypt, as well as Palestinians who have family in the US, who would be admitted. The program takes into consideration refugees who provide evidence they’re fleeing persecution from terrorist groups such as Hamas in war-torn countries, but it remains unclear if any individual can list a U.S. ally such as Israel as a reason for receiving refugee status.
In response to Baldwin’s comments, Republican challenger and entrepreneur Eric Hovde said the safety of the U.S. and standing with Israel should remain the government’s top priority, saying, “It was just seven months ago that we saw thousands of people in Israel attacked by terrorists, and Palestinians took to the streets to celebrate the murder of hundreds of civilians. Sen. Baldwin’s support for bringing thousands of Hamas supporters into America and making taxpayers bear the burden of providing housing, health care, and schooling is incomprehensible and a dereliction of duty that puts our state and our country in danger.”
According to a recent Gallup poll conducted on April 1–22, 27% of Americans believe immigration is the most critical problem facing the United States, making it the top concern for the third month in a row. One piece of data that stuck out most from the poll was that immigration concerns among women voters are now exceeding those of men, with 31% of women citing immigration as their top issue. This concern was also found in Public Opinion Strategies’ most recent poll, which found nearly six in 10 voters (57%) say that “border reform legislation” is “more important” than “all other things Congress could be working on.”
The latest Emerson/The Hill poll finds Baldwin leads Hovde by just an estimated three points, which is within the poll’s 2.9% margin of error, with 11% of respondents stating they remain undecided on who they’ll vote for come November.
Editors note: a previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Senator Baldwin was speaking about Palestiniaian refugees directly. According to a statement released to WSAU News, that was not the case. This story has been corrected to includ that statement. WSAU News regrets the error.
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