Speech #970046885

Mr. President. since the fall of Saigon in April 1975. about 500.000 refugees from Vietnam. Cambodia. and Laos have entered the United States in search of a new life. They left Indochina to escape political difficulties of the past three decades which have agonized and splintered their homeland. Now most of the refugees face a new and different set of problems in adjusting to a foreign land. The U.S. Government assumed much of the humanitarian responsibility of helping refugees resettle in this country. Today. we are considering just how much of this responsibility will be shifted to the State and local governments. The Labor and Human Resources Committee proposed slashing President Reagans proposal of $584 million for refugee aid to $360 million. This 40 percent reduction in Federal assistance would shift responsibility for roughly $180 million in cash and medical aid to the State and local governments. I am pleased to join Senator THURMOND in sponsoring an amendment to S. 1371 restoring President Reagans $584 million funding level for refugee assistance in fiscal year 1982. This aid is granted to refugees during their first 36 months of residency in the United States. according to the provisions of the Refugee Act of According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement. 483.964 Indochinese refugees had settled in the United States as of April 20. 1981. The national dependency rate of refugees on cash assistance was e3timated at more than 49 percent in November 1980. and 65 percent in the 11 most impacted States. Three quarters of Californias refugee population receives cash assistancemore than 111.000 Indochinese. Local efforts are further hampered by incomplete settlement records which often include only a portion of the refugees living in a State. A striking example of this was in February. 1981. when 109.4 percent of Rhode Islands refugee population was receiving cash assistance. It is evident that assuming $182 million in refugee aid will cause severe hardship for State and local governments and all welfare recipients. including refugees. The responsibility for current Federal funding would shift primarity to local government general relief. and result in reductions across the board for welfare recipients. Even in Santa Clara County. Calif.. a high employment area for refugees. 15.000 Indochinese receive cash assistance. It is estimated that the average monthly general assistance payment would drop from $204 to $123 per recipient in the absence of Federal aid. In San Diego. Calif.. the average general assistance payment would drop from $111 to $67 per month. Orange County. Calif. would have to raise their general relief budget more than fourfold. from $4 million to $18 million to pay for the added burden of refugees. Obviously. such an increase would be impossible for the local treasury. resulting in slashing general relief to all recipients from an average $132 to approximately $80 per month. As of March 31. 1981. Los Angeles County had 35.751 on refugee assistance rolls. a number that grows by more than 1.000 each month. It is unjust to ask local governments to take on such an enormous portion of the responsibility for the Federa! decision of admitting refugees. President Reagans proposal of $584 million for fiscal year 1982 refugee aid is a strong statement of his administrations commitment to this humanitarian responsibility. The least we can do is support that commitment and be equitable to the local governments. our partners in this responsibility. On the national scene. I am sure that all of us have seen racial tensions in our own States between refugees and other lowincome groups. Social tensions have already been elevated by shortages of housing. vocational trainng. and jobs. I recall an incident in Sacramento last year when a white man entered a public school. armed with a shotgun. to shoot an Indochinese refugee who had been accepted in his place for adult education classes. The burden of more refugee assistance on the local coffers can do nothing but ignite the social tensions that have been building among low income groups who must now share limited resources and facilities with the new arrivals. refugees. I must emphasize that I am anxious to see refugees become selfsufficient as soon as possible. I am distressed to hear predictions about a permanent welfare state for them. I have seen much evidence that Indochinese refugees came to this country with sincere intensions of paying their own way. and have managed to do so in most cases. However. I believe we all agree that especially the latest groups of refugees. mostly boat people. have been through traumatic experiences in their native countries and are less skilled and educated than the earlier wave of refugees who arrived from Saigon in the midseventies. The numbers of refugees arriving have increased. while their level of education and vocational skills have decreased. The Indochinese assistance rolls in Santa Clara County. Calif.. for instance. have increased from 953 to 15.000 recipients since 1978.