releases: http://delaney.house.gov/news/press-releases/delaney-leads-letter-calling-for-increased-funding-for-refugee-screening-and
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://delaney.house.gov/news/press-releases/delaney-leads-letter-calling-for-increased-funding-for-refugee-screening-and | Delaney Leads Letter Calling for Increased Funding for Refugee Screening and Resettlement | 2015-12-03 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Democrat | House | MD | John Delaney | D000620 | delaney.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6) led a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees calling for more resources to be dedicated to refugee processing in the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill. I believe we have the capabilities to speed up the process to accept refugees from places like Syria so that it doesnt take 18-24 months. These are people in need and as a country we have the ability to accept more innocent people fleeing ISIS. However to accomplish this, we need to provide the agencies vetting refugees with enough resources to expedite the process while maintaining effective screening procedures. That is why I am requesting supplemental funding to ensure the appropriate agencies have the necessary resources to both improve and expedite the refugee screening process to address this humanitarian crisis, said Congressman Delaney. The letter was authored by Delaney and signed by 30 additional members of Congress and was sent to Sen. Thad Cochran, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations; Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations; Rep. Hal Rodgers, Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and Rep. Nita M. Lowey, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Appropriations. The text of the letter is below: Dear Chairman Cochran, Vice Chairwoman Mikulski, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey, We have all seen and heard about the horrors Syrians have faced due to civil war and terrorism. Millions have fled their homeland in the hopes of seeking safety. While the United States has a thorough system in place for screening at-risk refugees, it is lengthy and not as efficient as it could be for low-risk refugees. Most Syrians first register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which can take anywhere from a few weeks to more than a year before a very select few are referred to the United States for our own stringent checks, which on average, take between 18-24 months. We should improve security standards to ensure that terrorists dont enter the United States; however, we also can expedite the process for low risk populations at the same time. There are three main agencies that are tasked with refugee processing and resettlement which include the Department of States Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and the Department of Homeland Securitys U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). PRM runs the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which includes the Resettlement Support Centers, and the Reception and Placement Program. ORR provides social services that help refugees become self-sufficient after arrival while also offering guidance and medical assistance. USCIS makes the final determination about whether or not each refugee is admissible to the U.S. As you finalize the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill, we encourage you to significantly increase funding for these critical programs to allow for more resources to be dedicated to more efficiently process refugee applications. By allocating additional resources effectively, we can both improve and speed up the refugee screening process which is so important to our national security. As you know, we can be both humanitarian and cautious and do not need to sacrifice one for the sake of the other. We appreciate your attention to this lifesaving matter. Sincerely, Rep. John K. Delaney Rep. Pete Aguilar Rep. Ami Bera Rep. Julia Brownley Rep. Cheri Bustos Rep. John Carney Rep. Yvette D. Clarke Rep. Gerald E. Connolly Rep. Jim Cooper Rep. Jim Costa Rep. Joe Courtney Rep. Debbie Dingell Rep. Gene Green Rep. Janice Hahn Rep. Ron Kind Rep. Ann McLane Kuster Rep. Ted W. Lieu Rep. James P. McGovern Rep. Patrick Murphy Rep. Richard Nolan Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton Rep. Scott Peters Rep. Chellie Pingree Rep. Jared Polis Rep. Mike Quigley Rep. Charles B. Rangel Rep. Kathleen Rice Rep. Raul Ruiz Rep. Kyrsten Sinema Rep. Albio Sires Rep. Adam Smith ## | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |