[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 162 (Tuesday, October 11, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION FOR THE 
 EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FOR 
                                MIGRANTS

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 11, 2022

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce a bill to amend the 
recently enacted fiscal year 2023 continuing resolution (CR) to provide 
$50 million in emergency supplemental appropriations for the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) 
for humanitarian assistance for migrants. The funding would remain 
available until expended.
  In a cynical political stunt, the governors of Texas, Arizona and 
Florida have sent approximately 14,000 vulnerable people fleeing 
desperate and dangerous situations in their home countries to the 
District of Columbia, New York City, Chicago and Martha's Vineyard in 
the last several months.
  In fiscal year 2022, Congress provided $150 million for the EFSP for 
humanitarian assistance for migrants. As of September 28, 2022, 
approximately $1 million of this funding remained available. I, along 
with several colleagues, sent a letter to the House Committee on 
Appropriations requesting that the CR provide $50 million in emergency 
supplemental appropriations for the EFSP for humanitarian assistance 
for migrants, but it was not included in the introduced version of the 
CR. We then filed an amendment to the CR at the Committee on Rules to 
provide this $50 million, but the amendment was not made in order. The 
enacted CR only provides funding for the EFSP at the fiscal year 2022 
rate of operations. D.C., New York City, Chicago and Massachusetts have 
increased their requests for EFSP funding, and without additional 
appropriations, the EFSP may exhaust its funding.
  This $50 million would ensure that D.C. and other jurisdictions, as 
well as non-profit groups and volunteers, have the resources they need 
to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants. As we continue to work 
to provide increased funding for the EFSP for humanitarian assistance 
for migrants in the regular fiscal year 2023 appropriations bill, I 
strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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