[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1073 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1073

     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
 Presidential Determination of the annual refugee admissions limit in 
fiscal year 2019 shall be no less than 110,000 and that President Trump 
     and his administration must operate the United States Refugee 
               Admissions Program (USRAP) in good faith.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2018

  Mr. Johnson of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. McGovern, Ms. 
Norton, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Larsen of 
 Washington, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Khanna, 
Mr. Ellison, Ms. Moore, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Raskin, Ms. 
 Lee, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Beyer, 
    Mr. Pocan, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mrs. Watson 
Coleman, Ms. Bass, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. 
    Brown of Maryland, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Carbajal, Mrs. Dingell, Ms. 
  Barragan, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. 
 McCollum, Mr. Sires, Mr. Correa, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Ben Ray Lujan of 
New Mexico, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Welch, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, 
Mr. Kildee, Mr. Keating, Ms. DeGette, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Hanabusa, 
and Mr. Doggett) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
 Presidential Determination of the annual refugee admissions limit in 
fiscal year 2019 shall be no less than 110,000 and that President Trump 
     and his administration must operate the United States Refugee 
               Admissions Program (USRAP) in good faith.

Whereas, on September 17, 2018, the President of the United States set the 
        Presidential Determination of the refugee admissions limit in fiscal 
        year 2019 at 30,000;
Whereas the President is required by law to consult with Congress on the refugee 
        admission numbers before issuing a Presidential Determination, and 
        failed to do so before issuing the 2019 refugee ceiling;
Whereas the United States has been a global leader in responding to displacement 
        crises around the world and promoting the safety, health, and well-being 
        of refugees and displaced persons;
Whereas according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there 
        are more than 69 million displaced people worldwide, the worst 
        displacement crisis in global history, including almost 25.4 million 
        refugees, more than half of whom are children;
Whereas 84 percent of the world's refugees are hosted in developing regions, 
        with more than a quarter in the world's least developed countries;
Whereas the United States leverages resettlement to encourage other countries to 
        keep their doors open to refugees, allow refugee children to attend 
        school, and allow adults to work;
Whereas the USRAP is the world's most thorough resettlement vetting program and 
        a critical pillar of our national security and our foreign policy;
Whereas over the course of nearly 4 decades since the passage of the Refugee Act 
        of 1980, the average annual refugee admissions goal has been 95,000;
Whereas in fiscal year 2016, the United States admitted approximately 85,000 
        refugees;
Whereas despite the Presidential Determination in fiscal year 2017 that the 
        admission of up to 110,000 refugees was justified, President Trump and 
        his administration only admitted 53,000 refugees, abandoning more than 
        56,000 refugees whom the United States had pledged to welcome;
Whereas the Presidential Determination in fiscal year 2018 is that the admission 
        of up to 45,000 refugees is justified, the lowest in the history of the 
        USRAP;
Whereas it is projected that fewer than 22,000 refugees will be admitted to the 
        United States during fiscal year 2018, the lowest number of refugee 
        arrivals in the history of the USRAP; and
Whereas Congress authorized the USRAP under the Refugee Act of 1980 and 
        maintains oversight authority to ensure that the program is carried out 
        in good faith, to the benefit of United States communities and United 
        States foreign policy objectives: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the United 
        States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of 
        refugees, including through resettlement to the United States 
        for those who cannot return home and cannot rebuild their lives 
        in the country to which they first fled;
            (2) urges President Trump and his administration to affirm 
        the importance of the United States Refugee Admissions Program 
        (USRAP) and demonstrate to Congress that they are operating the 
        program in good faith and in an attempt to meet their own 
        stated objectives;
            (3) urges President Trump and his administration to make a 
        Presidential Determination that the admission of not fewer than 
        110,000 refugees is justified in fiscal year 2019;
            (4) affirms its role in providing oversight and 
        accountability to ensure that the USRAP is conducted as 
        required under the Refugee Act of 1980; and
            (5) seeks from President Trump and his administration 
        improved consultation with Congress and adherence to the clear 
        congressional intent within the Refugee Act of 1980.
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