The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S3652-S3654 on June 20, 2017.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 195--RECOGNIZING JUNE 20, 2017, AS ``WORLD REFUGEE
DAY''
Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Coons, Mr. Markey, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Booker, Mr. Franken, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Brown) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution to mark World Refugee Day, and to address the ongoing displacement crisis across the globe. War, conflict and persecution have forced millions of people to leave their homes, creating more refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people than at any other time in history. Today, there are more than 65 million displaced men, women, and children worldwide, the highest level ever recorded in history. To put this number into perspective--if the global displaced population were a country, it would be the 21st largest country, more populated than the United Kingdom.
The global displacement trends we are witnessing now, due to conflict, severe human rights abuses, and climate change, are not going away. U.S. leadership in responding to these crises, whether it is the immense suffering of refugees from South Sudan or the plight of the internally-displaced in Syria and Iraq, is critical. How we respond--or whether we respond at all--will undoubtedly shape the landscape and the lives of future generations for years to come.
The United States has a long and proud history of providing safe harbor to the world's most vulnerable refugees--women and children, survivors of torture and other violence, and those with severe medical conditions. This included after World War II and after the fall of Saigon, when we resettled hundreds of thousands of refugees.
At the same time, we take the security of our citizens seriously. That is the reason the United States has the most rigorous refugee screening process in the world, involving the Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and National Counter Terrorism Center. The process includes biometric checks, medical screenings, forensic testing of documents, DNA testing for family reunification cases, and in-person interviews with highly trained homeland security officials.
The U.S. Refugee Resettlement program has been and should remain open to those of all nationalities and religions who face persecution. The Trump Administration's proposals that would have the U.S. State Department disqualify refugees from protection based on their nationality or religion fly in the face of the very principles this Nation was built upon. They also contradict the legacy of leadership our country has historically demonstrated, and dishonor our shared humanity.
It is clear, however, that the Trump Administration is determined to undermine longstanding American tradition and values, and in doing so they weaken our National security. As we all know, one of President Trump's first executive orders sought to drastically reduce the number of refugees entering the United States and turn away refugees from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. This un-American policy, rooted in fear not fact, cannot be tolerated. We collectively must reject the misplaced notion that some refugees are more deserving of protection than others.
Again and again, the Federal courts are signaling to the White House a real need for the President to immediately rescind his discriminatory executive order targeting Muslim refugees and travelers. Even while stayed by the courts, President Trump's executive orders have made America less safe, damaged our relationships with our allies, and harmed countless numbers of law-abiding citizens, travelers, and their families. America is a compassionate nation steeped with a history of welcoming immigrants and refugees.
I was proud to join Members of Congress who filed legal briefs in opposition to the President's discriminatory executive orders, along with HIAS in Silver Spring, Maryland, whose motto is to ``welcome the stranger'' and ``protect the refugee.'' Recently the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit provided a valuable check and balance on the President's authority. The court correctly pointed out that the President's most recent Executive Order ``speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination'' which violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. No American president is above the law.
Turning away refugees--whether they are from Syria or Somalia, Burma or Iraq, whether they are Muslims or Christians, Hindus or Jews--means turning our backs on the international humanitarian system and the mechanisms of stability and security that are the bedrocks of international order. Refugees remain powerful ambassadors of the American Dream and our Nation's founding principles of equal opportunity, religious freedom, and liberty and justice for all.
The Trump Administration again revealed its determination to erode American leadership with the release of its Fiscal Year 2018 Budget request. Their FY18 budget represents a wholesale repudiation of U.S. global leadership on virtually every critical matter, including humanitarian assistance and protection of the most vulnerable populations. The President's budget called for a 44 percent cut in humanitarian assistance--a truly horrifying reduction made even more appalling given the level of global need. According to a group of leading NGOs, the human cost of these cuts could be staggering. The proposed 18 percent cut to the Migration and Refugee Assistance account could result in over 3.5 million refugees and internally displaced persons not receiving assistance globally, including about 1 million in the Middle East and 1.1 million in Africa.
The United States has been a beacon of hope for so many around the world for centuries, and it is imperative that we remain so for others in this century, and beyond. We need to be unified on this and the United States must lead by example. It is a universal human desire to live in peace and security and to create a better life for our families and loved ones. We must do our part to facilitate that. We need to keep our doors--and our hearts--open to those who so desperately need safe harbor.
S. Res. 195
Whereas World Refugee Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the courage, strength, and determination of women, men, and children forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, and persecution;
Whereas according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (referred to in this Resolution as ``UNHCR'')--
(1) there are more than 65,600,000 displaced people worldwide, the highest level ever recorded, including nearly 22,500,000 refugees, more than 40,300,000 internally displaced people, and 2,800,000 people seeking asylum;
(2) children account for 51 percent of the global refugee population, millions of whom are unable to access basic services, including education;
(3) 10,300,000 people were newly displaced due to conflict or persecution in 2016;
(4) more than 5,500,000 refugees have fled Syria since the start of the conflict, and more than 6,300,000 people are displaced inside Syria;
(5) since January 2014, more than 3,000,000 Iraqis fleeing violence have been internally displaced, and 257,000 refugees have fled to neighboring countries;
(6) South Sudan has the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis, which is now the largest refugee crisis in Africa, with more than 1,800,000 refugees, including 1,000,000 children;
(7) increasing violence in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras has led to a growing number of unaccompanied child refugees, who are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, human trafficking, and kidnapping; and
(8) ongoing conflict, violence, and persecution have resulted in the displacement of millions in Ukraine, Colombia, and the Central African Republic;
Whereas 84 percent of the world's refugees are hosted in developing regions, with more than 28 percent hosted in the world's least developed countries;
Whereas refugees who are women and children are often at greater risk of violence, human trafficking, exploitation, and gender-based violence;
Whereas the United States resettlement program is a life-saving solution critical to global humanitarian efforts, which reflects American values, strengthens global security, and alleviates the burden placed on front-line host countries;
Whereas refugees are the most vetted travelers to enter the United States and are subject to extensive screening checks, including in person interviews, biometric data checks, and multiple interagency checks;
Whereas refugees contribute to their communities by starting businesses, paying taxes, and sharing their cultural traditions; and
Whereas refugees contribute more than they consume in state-funded services, including schooling and health care:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the United States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of the millions of refugees;
(2) recognizes those individuals who have risked their lives working individually and for nongovernmental organizations and international agencies, such as UNHCR, to provide life-saving assistance and protection for people displaced by conflict around the world;
(3) underscores the importance of the United States Refugee Resettlement Program as a critical tool for United States global leadership;
(4) calls upon the United States Government--
(A) to continue providing robust funding for refugee protection overseas and resettlement in the United States;
(B) to uphold its international leadership role in responding to displacement crises with humanitarian assistance and protection of the most vulnerable populations; and
(C) to alleviate the burden on refugee host countries through humanitarian and development support while maintaining the United States' long-standing tradition of resettling the most vulnerable refugees regardless of their country of origin or religious beliefs;
(5) reaffirms the goals of World Refugee Day; and
(6) reiterates the strong commitment of the United States to seek to protect the millions of refugees who live without material, social, or legal protections.
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