Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have balked at the billions of dollars included for refugee funding in one of the nine appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026.
The appropriations bill for the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contains $5.69 billion in funding for refugee assistance services, which is three times higher than it was prior to President Joe Biden’s time in office.
Paul, the chair of the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, said, “The big spenders in Congress are back in DC, hoping to pass a bill that spends billions on refugee benefits despite widespread reports of fraud. I will be introducing an amendment to block this funding. Congress is not doing enough to protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Paul wrote, “Watch as so-called ‘allies’ of the President vote for continuing billions for refugees. I will vote no and I’ve introduced legislation to end ALL welfare for ALL immigrants, including refugees.”
Lee wrote, “New Year’s resolution: stop nonsense like this, pass my SAVE Act to require proof of citizenship to vote, and codify the MAGA agenda — especially on immigration and enforcement. If the Senate follows these weeks of righteous outrage by undermining our own country, we do not deserve to govern.”
The roughly $6 billion that Congress is trying to appropriate for refugee resettlement undermines the Trump administration’s work to limit noncitizen access to American welfare programs.
The funding for the refugee assistance in the appropriations, if anything, would perpetuate the mass immigration programs established by the Biden administration, which let in hundreds of thousands of refugees, including from countries such as Afghanistan and Somalia.
One of the largest refugee groups included tens of thousands of Afghans evacuating the country, one of whom was charged with the shooting of two National Guard members, killing one just blocks from the White House the day before Thanksgiving. The Biden administration admitted roughly 200,000 evacuees from 2021 to 2023.
These refugees were eligible to receive federal welfare benefits ranging from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps; Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assistance; emergency Medicaid coverage; and more, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
Minnesota has become a prime example of how state Medicaid programs can be abused to the tune of billions of dollars. The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) found that 80 percent of the Somalians that resettled in Minnesota rely on some form of welfare program.
Lee and Paul’s opposition to the refugee funding in the Labor-HHS appropriations bill follows as the Big Beautiful Bill eliminated Medicaid coverage for refugees and Biden asylees. The Trump administration, through executive action, severely limited the number of refugees and non-citizens being allowed into the country to take advantage of these federal benefits meant for U.S. citizens.
The Senate is expected to vote on the Labor-HHS appropriation bill now that Congress is returning after the holiday break.
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