The only reason President Trump is restricting immigration from a number of Middle East countries is because he's failing to create jobs for the American people, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) argued Sunday. It's a "diversionary tactic," she said, just like his nomination of Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat.
Here's an excerpt:
TODD: "Let me ask you first on the travel ban. Would you at all be willing to work with the Trump administration on legislation that if they asked the Congress to essentially come up with something that would allow for some temporary suspension, some new vetting, would you be willing to work with the administration on something like that?"
PELOSI: “We take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and the American people and as long as we’re honoring the Constitution we’re willing to work. Now, as President Obama did in 2011, we always have to subject our vetting to scrutiny to see if it’s working, but that doesn’t mean we institute an unconstitutional, immoral ban on Muslims coming into the country.
"But what’s interesting to me is this is kind of a diversionary tactic. you heard the speaker talk about jobs, and what did we expect? What was the election about? The election was about improving the lives of the American people, about the future, about jobs, financial stability and the rest. Where is there initiative for that? So that when they don’t do something they have a diversionary tactic, a Muslim ban. When that isn’t working they move up the appointment of the justice of the Supreme Court. Let me contrast it to President Obama. President Obama on the steps of the Capitol eight years ago said I call for swift move to create jobs and educate our kids —“ [cross-talk]
TODD: “He’s two weeks in and you would say he’s not doing that."[cross-talk]
PELOSI: “Let me give you the timetable. One week and one day later the Congress passed the ARA, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. A week or so later the Senate passed a bill on the 17th of September, the Congress, the president signed a bill that created 3.5 million or saved 3.5 million to 4 million jobs. That was the initiative of the president or jobs. Where is the initiative?
"In order to deflect from not doing that they’re doing a travel ban which is not making American people safe, that is unconstitutional and even undermines what the evangelicals call — evangelicals call the crown jewel of humanitarianism of America our refugee resettlement.”