Kerry to meet with lawmakers about migrant crisis abroad
The U.S. is vowing to help its European allies with an escalating migrant crisis. In two meetings behind closed doors, Secretary of State John Kerry plans to brief congressional lawmakers on how many more Syrian refugees the administration is willing to take in.
Kerry is scheduled to meet Wednesday with the House and Senate Judiciary committees. Earlier this week, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kerry's predecessor, called for a "concerted global effort" to assist the refugees.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday that the Obama administration has been looking at a "range of approaches" for assisting U.S. allies as they struggle to accommodate 340,000 people freshly arrived from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Many are fleeing parts of Iraq and Syria that are under the Islamic State group's control.
