Update September 2: Vermont Digger tells us the original story was taken down and that there is no truth to any of it. Rutland is still a target site.
There is breaking news in Vermont that the controversial resettlement of 100 Syrian Muslims to Rutland has stalled in Washington.
But, local reports say that US State Department grants (contracts?) for resettlement have stopped nationwide. We are trying to track down that assertion. The only thing that makes any sense to me is that they have run out of funds for the final weeks of this fiscal year. If that is the case, it makes my point that money matters. No money=no refugees.
In the meantime this is from MyChamplainValley in Bernie-land (hat tip: Don):
A plan for 100 Syrian refugees to settle in Rutland, Vt. starting this October has hit a snag.
The U.S. State Department has halted its grant approval process for all resettlement programs nationwide.
The Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program applied for the grant.
Without this money, Rutland Board of Alderman President WIlliam Notte says refugees cannot be received. [Of course not, because there is no real charity here, it is all about taxpayer dollars!—ed]
Notte estimates the grant amount to be about $9,000 per refugee. However, he says lack of transparency has been an issue and he is not sure exactly how much it will cost.
Notte expects to hear back from the State Department about the status in September.
Wherever you are, don’t relax now. You have not won. They will be back!