Mr. Speaker. after the events of the past 10 days. it is vital for the Congress to act quickly and responsibly to provide assistance to the refugees from South Vietnam. I want to state my strong support for humanitarian aid to help these immigrants begin a new life in our country or wherever they may settle. Last Thursday the House overwhelmingly defeated the conference report on H.R. 6096. Vietnam Humanitarian Assistance and Evacuation Act of 1975. That vote has been widely misinterpreted by the press as a vote against refugee aid. Because of the unfortunate interpretation placed in that vote. I believe it is important for me to explain why I voted against the bill. My opposition to the bill stemmed from the following reasons: As originally drafted. H.R. 6096 was primarily an evacuation bill. with humanitarian assistance for refugees only a secondary consideration. The events which took place in South Vietnam between the time of our first debate and the time of the final vote on the conference report rendered the evacuation authority in the bill dated and unnecessary. All Americans were finally out of South Vietnam.
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immigrants refugee refugees