Mr. President. I offer this amendment on behalf of myself and the distinguished Senator from Washington to clarify congressional intent with respect to Federal refugee and entrant assistance. For the past 2 years. we have worked with the Senator from Connecticut who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor. Health and Human Services. Education. and Related Agencies. to resolve the continuing controversy surrounding Federal refugee assistance. The Office of Refugee Resettlement [ORR]. in fiscal year 1984. did not make available to States. the full amount Congress appropriated for targeted assistance. In that fiscal year. ORR reduced from $72 million to $44 million funding for refugee social services which had already been appropriated under the fiscal year 1984 continuing resolution. In the end. $16.6 million had been unlawfully reprogrammed away from targeted assistance. The senior Senator from Washington and I asked the Senator from Connecticut [Mr. WEICKERI to include in the Appropriations Committee report on fiscal year 1985 appropriations a clarification of congressional intent in support of funding for refugee targeted assistance. We remain deeply appreciative of the Senators accommodation of this request. Despite this clear statement of congressional intent in both the House and Senate reports on fiscal year 1984 appropriations.
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Refugee refugee