A Syrian family waits after arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos along with other migrants and refugees, on November 17, 2015, after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey.  At least eight people drowned when a boat carrying migrants from Turkey sank off the Greek island of Kos, the coastguard said on November 17, 2015. They were the latest of nearly 3,500 deaths at sea this year among people making desperate bids to flee war and poverty and to reach Europe, according to UN figures. European leaders tried to focus on joint action with Africa to tackle the migration crisis, as Slovenia became the latest EU member to act on its own by barricading its border. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC        (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
Some governors say they won't accept Syrian refugees
02:34 - Source: CNN

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"The certification requirement ... is untenable and would provide no meaningful additional security for the American people," the White House said

The refugee issue has emerged as a key political issue in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks in Paris

Washington CNN  — 

President Barack Obama on Wednesday vowed to veto a GOP-drafted bill that would suspend the program allowing Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the U.S. until key national security agencies certify they don’t pose a security risk.

“The certification requirement at the core of H.R. 4038 is untenable and would provide no meaningful additional security for the American people, instead serving only to create significant delays and obstacles in the fulfillment of a vital program that satisfies both humanitarian and national security objectives,” the White House said in a statement.

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The statement continued: “Given the lives at stake and the critical importance to our partners in the Middle East and Europe of American leadership in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis, if the President were presented with H.R. 4038, he would veto the bill.”

The refugee issue has emerged as a key political issue in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris. More than half – 31 – of the nation’s governors, mainly Republicans, oppose letting Syrian refugees into their states and most GOP presidential candidates have called for a pause in allowing them into the country.

A Bloomberg Politics poll released Wednesday found that 53% of American adults don’t want Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S., while 28% say the Obama administration should proceed with its plan to accept 10,000 refugees next year without religious screening, and 11% say only Christians from Syria should be allowed in.

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CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Eugene Scott and Eric Bradner contributed to this report.