Speech #1000027046

Mr. President. today I am introducing a joint resolution expressing congressional support for Federal programs which aid State and local governments in their efforts to assist refugees who have come to our country to start a new life free of persecution. These refugee assistance programs. which include Targeted Assistance. AFDC and Medicaid reimbursement and Refugee Social Services. provide valuable counseling. education. job training and other services which enable refugees to adjust to our society and develop the skills to become selfsufficient. In establishing these refugee programs. Congress recognized that we. as a democratic and free nation. have a moral responsibility to assist individuals who are fleeing persecution and oppression in their homelands. And I feel we can be proud of our record. Since 1976. close to 1 million refugees from Africa. Asia. Eastern Europe. the Soviet Union. Latin America and Near East Asia have come to the United States to start new lives. Refugee resettlement is not just a one way street. however. We. as a nation. have benefited from the rich cultural diversity and experiences that these individuals have brought with them. Mr. President. the difficulties that refugees face when they arrive in this country can be overwhelming. Unfamiliarity with the language. a lack of appropriate job skills. poor health. little money. and cultural shock are just some of the barriers that stand in the way of refugees becoming productive and happy members of our society. Federal refugee assistance programs are designed to help refugees overcome these barriers and make the transition from welfare to selfsupport as quickly as possible. Our national efforts also acknowledge that States and communities that have a high percentage of refugees among their citizens should not be expected to bear the entire cost of assistance. Even with Federal assistance. local communities and States face significant shortterm and longterm costs associated with refugee resettlement. Refugee assistance programs are very important to my State of Minnesota where more than 26.000 Southeast Asian refugees have settled. Only a few weeks ago. I had the opportunity to meet with a group of Hmong refugees in Minneapolis who are employed by the Professional Instruments Co. Because of the combined efforts of Federal and local programs. these refugees received training that enabled them to find a good job. Their appreciation of our country and for the assistance they received was moving. The Presidents fiscal 1988 budget proposal does not bode well for these programs. The administrations budget calls for the termination of the Targeted Assistance Program after March 1988. This program provides grants to those communities with unusually large refugee populations. It also calls for deep reductions in other programs which aid refugees such as the Refugee Social Services. In addition. the reimbursement period to State and local governments for AFDC and Medicaid costs they incur in aiding newlyarrived refugees will be reduced to 24 months from 31 months. This reimbursement period was already reduced from 36 to 31 months under the budget sequestration last year. Mr. President. these cuts would mean an end to truly effective refugee assistance and create a substantial financial burden for those communities with many refugees. These cuts would hinder the efforts of refugees to become an integral part of our society and could even cause resentment against refugees because of the increased pressure on the local tax dollars due to increased service demands. I would like to give you an example of how the refugee assistance system works and how proposed budget cuts would impact upon that system. Ramsey County. in my home State of Minnesota. currently receives approximately $570.000 in Targeted Assistance funds. The county uses this money to provide jobtraining and jobrelated support services to 450 adult refugees and 400 high school youths. Among these support services are Job placement activities. job training. youth acculteration. interpretation and supportive counseling. and family support services. Up to 5.000 individuals. mostly Hmong refugees. could benefit from such services if enough funds were available. However. should Target Assistance be terminated. Ramsey County would be forced to end the program. If we allow the proposed cuts to take place. this story will be repeated throughout the United States at every government level which uses this money to provide essential support to their needy refugee community. Congress must not allow these stories to be written. Mr. President. the resolution I am offering today expresses the sense of Congress that we should maintain our commitment to refugee resettlement and assistance. We must allow for these programs in the budget and in the appropriations bill. My colleague from Minnesota.