[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 158 (Tuesday, October 3, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           REFUGEE ADMISSIONS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, last Friday, President Trump announced that 
he will slash our refugee admissions to 45,000 in fiscal year 2018--the 
lowest annual target since the passage of the 1980 Refugee Act. Instead 
of embracing our moral and legal obligation to address the worst 
refugee crisis in global history, as has been our tradition for 
decades, President Trump seems intent on relinquishing our role as the 
humanitarian leader of the world. The dimming of our beacon is not just 
a symbolic loss; tens of thousands of human lives are now placed at 
risk.
  There is no rational basis for this shameful retreat. The 
administration's own analysis shows that refugees contributed a net 
benefit of $63 billion to our economy between 2005 and 2014. National 
security leaders across the political spectrum, including former 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen, are unanimous in 
their view that refugees are the most stringently vetted travelers to 
the United States. Our commitment to welcoming refugees plays a 
critical role in strengthening our alliances in areas of conflict.
  The President stands alone in his disregard for the staggering 
suffering we are witnessing around the world. Last month, the Senate 
Appropriations Committee--on which I serve as vice chairman--
unanimously approved a funding bill that demonstrates our unwavering 
commitment to refugees. It fully funds offices that are critical to the 
continuity of refugee programs and even provides a $50 million increase 
to the State Department's refugee assistance and resettlement missions. 
Our bipartisan bill repudiates any claims by President Trump that the 
United States is unwilling to commit the resources required to fund a 
refugee program that honors our history as a refuge for the persecuted. 
Even the conservative Heritage Foundation has called on President Trump 
to set annual refugee admissions ``based on historical refugee 
levels,'' which have never dropped below 67,000 per year since the 
beginning of the Reagan administration.
  I am proud that my own State of Vermont has welcomed and resettled 
approximately 7,500 refugees since fiscal year 1989. The city of 
Rutland was preparing to resettle an additional 100 refugees mainly 
from Syria last year and this fiscal year, until the Trump 
administration inexplicably halted certain refugee admissions and 
announced drastic reductions to the refugee resettlement program. 
Vermont and other States stand ready to do more to address this global 
crisis, but the leader of our country is shamefully directing them to 
do less.
  Presidents have an obligation to protect our Nation's fundamental 
values. Presidents of both parties have long understood this. They have 
not forsaken our history as a nation founded by enterprising 
individuals seeking refuge and freedom from persecution. They have 
ensured that our policies do not betray our proud tradition as the 
humanitarian leader of the world.
  This decision illustrates that President Trump is misinformed and 
that he has caved to the counsel of xenophobic voices seeking to hollow 
out our refugee program. By shutting our doors to thousands of innocent 
human beings fleeing persecution and tyranny, he misunderstands the 
history of the country he was elected to lead. I hope that he 
reconsiders his callous decision, as the law in fact empowers him to 
do, in light of emerging humanitarian concerns. Nothing less than our 
Nation's identity as an unwavering beacon of hope during the world's 
darkest chapters is at stake.

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