Blackburn, Sessions: HHS' Refusal To Submit Refugee Report One More Reason To Strip Blank Check From Omnibus

Statement

Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) issued the following statement today after sending a letter yesterday to the Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell concerning her Department's failure to submit a legally-required annual report on refugee resettlement in the United States:

"Failure to provide Congress with required information on the resettlement of foreign nationals within the United States violates both the law and the public trust. These are grave matters.

Already, at least a dozen individuals admitted to the United States as refugees have been implicated in terrorism in 2015 alone. Additionally, refugees are provided instant, lifetime access to welfare and entitlements. For the cost of resettling 1 refugee in the United States we could assist 12 refugees in their home region.

ORR's operating model is to request funds to place refugees in the United States while not accounting for one cent of the cost associated with long-term welfare, healthcare, housing and entitlement benefits. Refugees also draw from Medicare and Social Security, accelerating these programs' insolvency -- and, again, ORR does not count or estimate these costs. These actions are draining the treasury.

In addition to resettling admitted refugees, ORR is involved with the relocation of illegal aliens within the interior of the United States as well.

With millions of Americans barely scraping by, ORR wants a blank check by December 11th of this year to resettle foreign nationals in the United States, and yet refuses to even comply with federal law requiring an annual report on the program. This casual comfort with which this Administration disregards the taxpayer, and defies their elected representatives, chisels at the foundation of republican government. This is exactly why we must not issue a blank resettlement check but instead put the people's Congress back in charge.

Congress should first obtain a full lifetime accounting of refugee resettlement costs and then consider the number of refugees to admit. This unlimited power of the President must be curtailed."

BACKGROUND:
Unless Congress set new conditions, the President will have unchecked authority to bring in as many refugees as he wants, from anywhere he wants, without any requirement for Congressional or public approval.

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