Update: Rally fizzles, pathetic turnout!  Click here for photos.
The Rally4Refugees  (aka Rally4Money) kicks off today in Washington and although organizers want to give the impression that this is all about saving the downtrodden of the world, they know and are working toward the goal of wringing more of your money, taxpayer dollars, out of you to expand their progressive power base, force diversity down everyone’s throats, and help bring a steady supply of cheap labor for their partners in the global economy.
[See my Part I, here, also about the money]
We can impotently holler and scream about the UN, about Obama, about Soros and Hillary, but we should be screaming at the Republicans in Congress and especially the leadership.

Obama cannot expand the numbers of refugees he wants for FY2017 without the accompanying money from you!

A week or so ago we told you that Obama is looking to get $2.2 BILLION appropriated for FY2017 for the Office of Refugee Resettlement alone.  The fiscal year begins October 1!

Congress and the power of the purse!

When Congress returns after Labor Day, will Congress pass a ‘continuing budget resolution’ until a later date (past the November election)?
Will they address next year’s budget in the lame duck session following the election and after we know who will be our President in 2017?
Might they pass a continuing resolution until say March (giving a new President time to have some influence)? Or, they could pass a whole year’s budget in the lame duck.
We don’t know, but you can be sure that during those September days (before they leave to campaign in October) funding issues will be front and center for them.
The point I’m making is that your energy must now be placed on stopping the funding for refugee resettlement (or at minimum keeping it at last year’s level) when the contractors and those organizing that rally today will be putting all their time and energy (most likely using your money to lobby as well!) into expanding the funding levels to accommodate whatever crazy number Obama will announce at the UN in September. Go here and look at their postcard to Congress—it is about MONEY!
The nine federal resettlement contractors*** have no money if they can’t get it from you!
Again, Obama says he wants $2.2 Billion for ORR (in the Dept. of Health and Human Services) while the House Appropriations Committee has already weighed in and said, no. They propose keeping the funding at last year’s level.
See what they said here in the Appropriations Committee report earlier this summer (hat tip: Richard at Blue Ridge Forum).  The Committee recommends $1.6 billion.  The contracting agencies will have a much more difficult time trying to open all the new offices they have been talking about with money at last year’s level.
Editor: Remember as you read this that this is just for the Office of Refugee Resettlement and know that the State Department also pays out at least another $500 million directly to the contractors. Also, be sure to take note of the fact that the ‘Unaccompanied Alien Children’ are now costing us almost one billion alone!

REFUGEE AND ENTRANT ASSISTANCE
    The Committee recommends $1,674,691,000 for Refugee and
Entrant Assistance programs, which is the same as the fiscal
year 2016 enacted level and $575,169,000 below the fiscal year
2017 budget request.
    The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) programs are
designed to help refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants,
and trafficking victims become employed and self-sufficient.
These programs also provide for care of unaccompanied immigrant
children in Federal custody and victims of torture.
    Within the total, the Committee recommends the following:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            FY 2017
                   Budget Activity                         Committee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transitional and Medical Services....................       $490,000,000
Victims of Trafficking...............................         18,755,000
Social Services......................................        155,000,000
Preventive Health....................................          4,600,000
Targeted Assistance..................................         47,601,000
Unaccompanied Children...............................        948,000,000
Victims of Torture...................................         10,735,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Refugees and Unaccompanied Children
    Healthcare and Education Costs Related to Illegal
Immigration.--The Committee is concerned with the significant
healthcare and education costs to State and local communities
resulting from illegal immigration. In addition, the Committee
is concerned about the response time from previous inquiries on
this matter; the Committee urges the Departments of Education
and Health and Human Services to provide timely and informative
assistance when requested. The Committee further directs the
Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to
provide all available Federal resources to assist State and
local governments with these increased costs that are a direct
result of Federal law or policy. The Committee further directs
the Departments to provide a report to the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and
Education, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and
the Subcommittee on Homeland Security within 90 days of
enactment on the costs borne by State and local governments and
the Federal government for providing health and education
services to individuals without legal immigration status. The
report should cover the costs incurred over the course of
fiscal years 2014-2016 and include projected costs for fiscal
years 2017 through 2021. The report shall also include an
accounting of what Federal resources have been directed and
what Federal resources will be directed in each year to cover
these added expenses.

Note above in blue—that is the Committee telling HHS something they want done! Such demands can be placed in Appropriations bills.  This is a good step, but it would be even better if it directed them to find out what the state and local costs are of refugees placed in your towns as well.

Republican members of the subcommittee responsible for the above are listed here.  Is yours among them? If so, thank them. Tell them this is a start!

Look for Part III this coming week.  So what is the US State Department asking for in FY2017?
***The nine federal resettlement contractors (participating in the rally for money today) are almost completely funded with your tax dollars: