President Trump, accompanied by Vice President Pence, shakes hands with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday at a congressional retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday. (Matt Rourke/AP)President Trump’s order to temporarily halt admission to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries is not a Muslim ban, Republicans in Congress, including aides to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), declared Saturday. Ryan was among the first lawmakers on Friday to back Trump’s order, which blocks citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya from entering the country for at least 90 days. His reply: “Yes.”“This is not a religious test and it is not a ban on people of any religion,” said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan. [ Republicans beat back attempt to hold vote on Trump’s Muslim ban proposal ]Aides also said it is not uncommon for an administration to prioritize refu­gee requests on the basis of religious persecution.

Source: Washington Post January 28, 2017 19:32 UTC