It was specifically rejected in the committee and the subcommittee. It was not offered on the floor. Now it comes back from the conference with one exception. for old Cuban refugees. those who have been in this country for longer than 3 years and possibly 18 years. at a cost of $90 million in additional dollars. Now. I emphasize this is an authorization. but it is there. Now. we have already spent over $1.4 billion on the Cuban refugee program. We are going to spend $75 million between now and April 1. 1981. and if we adopt the conference report. there will be an additional $90 million to be added by the conference. Now. that is just too much. that is too much. Now. the House has been fighting to terminate this program. The appropriations committee endeavored to terminate this program and the Senate imposed it all on them. I want you to read. we have a special refugee resettlement study in the United States. a special study made by the Social Security Administration. It points out that this is the largest program in U.S. history. including from 1958 to the present 750.000 persons. It has created the largest living refugee resettlement program in U.S. history. A baby born at the time of the exception in the Cuban refugee program would now be of voting age. I might add. under certain circumstances that same child might be eligible under these provisions for continued Cuban refugee assistance. Now. we have already spent $1.4 billion on this program. Another $90 million is too much. I remind you again of the three reasons why I think we should reject this conference report. In the first place. it creates an Ambassador at Large to operate without careful hearings and consideration. It rejects the House effort to control the number of refugees by rejecting the legislative veto. Finally. and the third reason. it adds $90 million for Cuban refugees after April 1. 1981. and that is too much.
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refugee refugees