This is a story from Philadelphia about using refugees to put pressure on Congress to not cut funding for the refugee program (which of course means cutting out offices and staff for the federal refugee contractors). A few weeks ago I reported on contractors dragging refugees out to demonstrate in Washington State, here. In Philadelphia they have them writing letters to Congress.
From Newsworks:
Among the budget cuts Congress is considering are reductions in funds for newly arrived refugees. A group of Philadelphia area refugees gathered Friday to write to members of Congress and ask them not to reduce the funds that help with resettlement.
Someone speaks the truth—-a budget cut might mean fewer refugees brought to the US during the great recession.
Julianne Ramic, with the Nationality Services Center, helps refugees resettle in Philadelphia.
“So it would be a reduction of the number of refugees coming in,” she said. “A reduction in the number of services and the quality of services coming and then federal funding that comes into the state to kind of offset costs of providing start-up care for refugees.”
Republicans have proposed cutting funds for refugee programs by more than 40 percent.
This is disingenuous—making it look like it is a huge cut. A year ago, the Obama Administration had simply, with a slight of hand, increased the funding for the contractors, here, and this Congressional budget cut for FY2011 is now taking the funding level back to the pre-Obama money-dump days.
By the way, the longer the Democrats drag out the Continuing Resolution for the FY2011 budget, the more time the advocacy groups will have to beat the drum for restoring their funds, see here.
Readers, if you want to voice your opinion on funding for the refugee program, go here for guidance.