It is not a State problem at all. it is a national problem. and I think and hope that the Senate of the United States today will agree to this amendment and strike this language from the bill. The administration favors the position of the sponsors of this amendment. and the Secretary of Health. Education. and Welfare. in a letter to Senator SCOTT. the minority floor leader. dated January 28. 1972. stated as follows: DEAR SENATOR SCOTT: The action taken by the Senate Committee on Appropriations. in the 1972 Foreign Assistance Appropriation Bill . reducing the amount for the Cuban Refugee Program to $129.000.000 and placing an abrupt and severe restriction on Federal reimbursements to the States for refugee welfare and medical assistance. has serious implications for the States and communities which have so generously accepted substantial numbers of refugees during recent years. Then the letter refers to the language In the bill which this amendment would strike. It goes on to say: Enactment of this provision would mean a withdrawal. during the remainder of fiscal year 1972 and fiscal year 1973. of Federal refugee remibursements to the States totaling $68.000.000. Of this amount. an estimated $28.000.000 would be made up by Federal reimbursements under the regular public assistance and medical assistance programs. and $40.000.000 would have to be provided from State funds.... Under these circumstances. the effect of the provision proposed by the Committee would be simply to shift to the States. without warning and with little advance notice. a large portion of the financing of refugee assistance. Then it goes on to point out how difficult the fiscal situations of those States are already with regard to welfare payments. So really what the Secretary is saying here is backing up my argument that it is a national program. that it is a problem of the Federal Government. and that the States should not be saddled with this burden.
Keywords matched
Refugee refugee refugees