President. I hope very much that the Senate will reject this amendment. The Senator from Mississippi is talking about a worthwhile program. but I bring to the attention of the Senate the fact that the effect of this amendment would be to cut by roughly 25 percent. onequarter. the amount of dollars presently remaining in the U.S. migration and refugee program. . I also want to point out that these are not domestic programs. but most of the dollars that are spent overseas. to assist people who are escaping from Communist and other repressive governments. If this amendment were to be adopted. it would affect an account which presently has only $128 million remaining. and such a cut would have a massive effect on a number of critical programs which I believe are vital to our overall foreign policy. For example. there is the resettlement program for Soviet and Eastern European refugees in Israel. which the committee has considered in detail and unanimously approved. That would have to be cut back. So would refugee admissions for Indochinese and the Cambodian relief program. All these kinds of programs would be cut back. and I believe it would be devastating to our foreign policy as well as to these important refugee activities. Mr. President. there may well be a need for more money in this account because of the current situation in Pakistan. where an increasing number of refugees are escaping from Afghanistan. Mr. President. a parliamentary inquiry.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees