Speech #940054375

Instead. we should examine each item on the basis of its individual merits. and proceed to implement the resettlement assistance program in a rational. businesslike manner. The lack of planning and foresight which characterized our whole Indochina adventure. by both Democratic and Republican administrations. from start to finish. must not be repeated. I am thus introducing legislation that would provide $127 million. one quarter of President Fords request. for refugee assistance for 3 months. At the end of a period of 60 days following the date of enactment of the act. the President would be required to come to Congress to explain and justify his resettlement program. He would have to show how the administration is spending the resettlement assistance funds and Indicate how much more they need and exactly why they need it. The Congress would then have 30 days to consider and act upon the administrations request for additional resettlement funds before the initial 90day authorization period elapsed. The bill also stipulates the purposes for which the refugee settlement assistance funds may be expended. These purposes include all the general categories requested by the President. except for reimbursement to the Department of Defense for the cost of evacuating refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia. It also provides that funds be made available for transportation for Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees who voluntarily choose to return to their homeland. Finally. the bill imposes a 1year moratorium on the hiring of refugees who participated in the Operation Phoenix program by any intelligence agency of the U.S. Government or by the Department of Defense. I propose this legislation to aid Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees as one who long opposed U.S. intervention in the Indochina conflict. In my view. our whole Indochina policy was bankrupt from the start and. in fact. was based on false historical premises. Nevertheless. the wisdom of our long and painful involvement in Vietnam is not the issue here. The issue today is the tens of thousands of refugees who are in need of assistance. Denying help to these individuals will not make them or their problems disappear. Steamrolling through an openended authorization for a long term and loosely defined refugee resettlement assistance program based on hastily prepared statistics is not the answer either. I urge that the administration work with the Congress in structuring the substance and scope of a meaningful and responsible resettlement assistance program. The legislation I am introducing today is designed to serve that end. The text of the bill follows: H.R. 6849 A bill to provide resettlement assistance for Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees. and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That this Act may be cited as. "The Vietnam and Cambodia Refugee Resettlement Assistant Act." SEC. 2. For the purposes of this Act the term "refugee" shall be defined by section 2(b) (3) of the Migration and Refugee Assistanoe Act of 1962. as amended. SEC. 3. There is authorized to be appropriated $127.000.000 for a period of no more than ninety days for assistance to refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia for the following purposes: (a) for the construction and maintenance of refugee staging areas and processing facilities. (b) for the processing and care of refugees. including food. medical care. clothing and shelter. (c) for resettlement costs of volunteer agencies. (d) for social services. welfare. medicaid. education. and public health. (e) for transportation to third countries of refugees who desire and need such assistance. (f) for. transportation to Vietnam and Cambodia of refugees who wish to return to their homeland. SEc. 4(a). At the end of a period of sixty days following the date of enactment of this Act. the President shall report to the appropriate committees of Congress regarding the specific uses of the funds authorized by this Act. the need for additional funds should he deem such funds necessary. and the specilflo purposes for which such additional funds are requested. (b) At the end of the time period specified in Sec. 4(a) of this Act. the President shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress containing all pertinent data regarding the occupations and backgrounds of the refugees. (c) Prior to the expiration of the time period specified in Sec. 3 of this Act. the Congress shall consider the amount of additional funds to be used for the purposes of this Act. and the duration of time in which such additional funds may be expended. SEC. 5(a). Upon the enactment of this Act. there shall be a one year moratorium on all hiring of refugees from Vietnam who participated in the Operation Phoenix Program by any intelligence agency of the United States Government or by the Department of Defense. (b) In addition to the information required by Sec. 4(b). the President shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress containing all pertinent information relative to the refugees from Vietnam who participated in the Operation Phoenix Program.