Congressional reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's support of President Donald Trump's travel ban has fallen mostly along party lines, with one Democratic senator backing legislation to deny funding for the plan.
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, said in a statement that it's "very clear" that the Supreme Court based its decision on evidence that the president was following the law. "And the majority found ... that there was reason to believe that national security was a concern," he said.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he was not surprised that the Supreme Court upheld the ban. He expressed the hope that the ban could be lifted sometime in the future, but added that "we are always worried about that handful of bad actors that are hell-bent on harming Americans."
Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican who has been critical of Trump in the past, said of the decision: "I don't think it's wise. I don't think it lends to better national security. But I do think it's constitutional." Flake has announced he is not running for re-election in November.
Democratic Senator Ben Cardin called the Supreme Court's decision "extremely disappointing." He said it was "another mark against America and the values we hold dear."
Senator Chris Murphy, also a Democrat, has called for passage of his bill to block funding for enforcement of the ban. "This Supreme Court decision essentially gives the White House license to discriminate based on nationality or religion, which stands in direct opposition to what I was taught to love about this country," he said.
In the House, Republican Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte said Trump was "right to hit pause" on admitting foreign nationals and refugees from countries where adequate screening cannot occur. He said Trump "clearly has the authority under the law and the Constitution to limit immigration when it is in our national security interest to do so."
But "I believe that the justices got it wrong in this case," House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said. "Muslim immigrants have been a part of making America a stronger, safer and more prosperous nation for generations."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the court ruling "dangerous" and said it undermines American values and the Constitution.
And Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee said, "This is a dark day for America." Yet, she added, "This decision does not change the character of our country, and I know that this fight is not over."
