Senate Appropriations Committee Approves $4.6 Billion Supplemental To Address The Humanitarian Crisis At The Southern Border
WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2019) – The Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved a bipartisan emergency supplemental to address the humanitarian crisis on our country’s southern border in a vote of 30 to 1. The supplemental totals $4.6 billion, $400 million less than the Trump Administration’s revised request, including $2.88 billion for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the office charged with caring for unaccompanied minors.
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said: “These are extraordinary circumstances, and we have the opportunity to show the world what American values are by acting with compassion. We do not tear children from their families. We do not address a humanitarian crisis by blindly detaining anyone who comes to our border seeking mercy and safety. We do not vilify the poor, abused, desperate, or hungry. We take proper care of those in our custody. This package is a humanitarian package to address the desperate needs on our southern border, and it is a good faith compromise.”
If Congress does not act, ORR will run out of funding at the end of the month, further deteriorating conditions for children and migrants at the border. Committee Democrats secured several important conditions to ensure the children in U.S. custody are treated humanely and provided appropriate care. Committee Democrats also secured a provision to ensure the resources in this supplemental are used only for the purpose they were appropriated for.
A one page summary of the supplemental is available HERE.
Vice Chairman Leahy’s full statement is available HERE.
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CONTACT: Jay Tilton – 202-224-2667
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