Speech #940057104

I do not believe it aptly characterizes the work of the subcommittee. the full committee. or the House of Representatives. I understand the thrust of the gentlemans amendment and I understand the concerns to which it is responding. but I do not feel it serves our purposes in discussing the substance of his amendment to suggest any phoniness or hypocrisy within the confines of this institution. The provision which will govern. and the committee has gone into this very carefully. is that once the refugee is placed in a community. in other words once he is moved from either Pendleton or Chaffee or Eglin to where he is being relocated. from that point on he will be subject to the same monetary tests that any American would have to meet in order to receive assistance. to receive financial assistance. social services. health care. and other similar programs. So at that point the refugee has no advantage with respect to how he is treated in comparison with how Americans are treated. The reach of this amendmentand it is very important that the Members appreciate thisgoes well beyond that situation. This amendment would make it impossible to provide services for the incoming refugees unless similar services were provided for Americans. Let me underscore what those services are. They include movement to the United States from the South Pacific. They include settlement at one of the three camps. either in California. Arkansas. or Florida. and sustenance for the period ir. which the refugee is living in totally displaced circumstances. They would include for those refugees who could not afford to pay their own way from the settlement camp to the place of permanent location the transportation costs for those who could not meet that cost themselves. That is perceived as being a highly desirable provision. The objective of course is to disperse the refugees as much as possible evenly throughout the country. So at the point when the refugees are placed in a similar environment as most Americans. in other words are located permanently. beyond that point if they come in to seek financial assistance they must meet a means test. They must meet the same needs test with respect to their financial position that any American would have to meet. As to previous services that are being provided. it is true that there is not a program that allows an American to go to Camp Pendleton and live in a tent.