{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2023/12/sen-johnson-joins-38-gop-senators-in-demanding-changes-to-biden-administration-rule-endangering-safety-and-wellbeing-of-unaccompanied-alien-children", "Sen. Johnson Joins 38 GOP Senators in Demanding Changes to Biden Administration Rule Endangering Safety and Wellbeing of Unaccompanied Alien Children", "2023-12-05", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "WI", "Ron Johnson", "J000293", "www.ronjohnson.senate.gov", "ronjohnson", "https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), joined U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and 38 of their Senate GOP colleagues in a letter calling on the Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to overhaul its harmful and deficient policies governing the agency\u2019s treatment of unaccompanied alien children in the United States. ORR\u2019s Proposed Rule\u2014parts of which the agency is already enforcing\u2014allows ORR to place vulnerable children in the custody of poorly vetted, andpotentially criminal, sponsors and obstructs whistleblowers from reporting abuse in the program to Congress. This letter comes one year after Sen. Johnson first wrote to HHS Secretary Xavior Becerra about the disturbing whistleblower account of HHS employee Tara Lee Rodas regarding the department\u2019s handling of the Unaccompanied Children Program.\n\n\u201cThis Proposed Rule ignores nearly seven years of oversight conducted by Congress and the Office of Inspector General and reveals chronic foot-dragging\u2014if not total reluctance\u2014when it comes to protecting vulnerable children,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cIt provides ample protections to government bureaucrats at the expense of children. Even more concerning, \u2018the requirements being [adopted] in this proposed rule are already enforced by [the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)].\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2026ORR does not even consider a sponsor\u2019s criminal record, current illegal drug use, history of abuse or neglect, or other child welfare concerns \u2018necessarily disqualifying to potential sponsorship.\u2019\u2026 In effect, ORR accepts a sponsor\u2019s representations almost entirely on face value,\u201d the senators continued.\n\n\u201cORR\u2019s Proposed Rule abdicates the agency\u2019s responsibility for protecting the vulnerable children in its custody from harmful behavior by poorly vetted, potential criminals. For these services, the taxpayer paid ORR $5.5 billion in FY2022. The Proposed Rule is wholly unworkable and ORR should discard it and its current practices. If not, Congress will have no choice but to introduce a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act,\u201d the senators concluded.\n\nSens. Johnson and Grassley are joined in this letter by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.).\n\nRead more about the senators\u2019 December 4, 2023 letter to the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the Washington Examiner.\n\nFull text of the letter can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2023/12/sen-johnson-joins-38-gop-senators-in-demanding-changes-to-biden-administration-rule-endangering-safety-and-wellbeing-of-unaccompanied-alien-children"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.862539280205965, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}