{"id":2157513,"date":"2024-01-23T20:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T01:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-spent-nearly-20-billion-on-refugee-resettlement-in-just-two-years\/"},"modified":"2024-01-23T20:31:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T01:31:57","slug":"biden-admin-spent-nearly-20-billion-on-refugee-resettlement-in-just-two-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-spent-nearly-20-billion-on-refugee-resettlement-in-just-two-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Admin&#8217;s Refugee Resettlement Costs Reach $20B in 2 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-admin-spent-nearly-20-billion-on-refugee-resettlement-in-just-two-years%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2157513&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Federal Government Spends Nearly $20 Billion on Refugee Resettlement Programs<\/h2>\n<p>A new watchdog report has revealed \u2062that the federal government has spent almost $20 billion of taxpayer dollars on\u2064 refugee \u200cresettlement programs in the past two\u200b years. This staggering sum\u2063 has\u200c been\u200d driven by a\u2064 surge in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hamas-stalled-evacuations-by-putting-its-wounded-fighters-on-departure-lists-us-official\/\" title=\"Hamas hindered evacuations by including their injured fighters on departure lists, says US official.\">foreign nationals attempting<\/a> to \u2063enter the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The funds were allocated to\u200d the Office of Refugee \u200cResettlement (ORR), \u200ca division of the Department \u2063of Health and Human Services (HHS) that aims to help refugees become self-sufficient after \u200btheir arrival in the country. The ORR received a\u200c massive $8.93 billion in taxpayer funds in fiscal\u200b year 2022, \u200bwhich increased to $10.93 billion the following year. The \u2064total amount \u2062of taxpayer funds used for resettlement programs reached $19.85 billion, supporting various initiatives such as housing assistance,\u2064 school placement \u200csupport, and \u200bpublic \u2064benefits applications. The President&#8217;s budget for 2024 allocates just over $10 billion to the ORR.<\/p>\n<p>These figures represent a significant increase\u2064 from the \u2064early days \u200cof the Biden\u2063 administration, when only $2.6 billion was allocated to the ORR in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>While\u2062 the ORR\u200b has struggled to\u200d account for unaccompanied children \u2064amidst\u200c an unprecedented surge of illegal aliens at the southern border, \u200bover 10 million \u2064foreign nationals have \u200battempted to\u200d cross into\u200b the United States since President Biden took office.<\/p>\n<h3>Increased Funding for Refugee Assistance Programs<\/h3>\n<p>Over the past two years,\u200c there has been a \u2064notable increase in funding for \u2064Refugee and Entrant Assistance \u2063Discretionary Grants. These grants\u200b allow eligible\u200b individuals to receive financial assistance from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive \u200dfunding from\u2062 the ORR.<\/p>\n<p>While $1.5 billion \u2064in discretionary \u2064grants were distributed from 2013 to 2023, the majority of the spending occurred in the \u200clast \u2063two\u200c years, with amounts exceeding $400 million in 2022 and $615 million in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>One of the programs within the discretionary \u200cgrant program is the ORR&#8217;s Preferred Communities\u200c Program, which accounted \u2064for over half of the discretionary\u2064 grant spending in 2022. This program aims to provide intensive case management to extremely vulnerable individuals,\u2064 offering \u200dservices such \u2062as \u2063mental health support, transportation assistance, help with benefit systems,\u2063 and immigration status support.<\/p>\n<p>According\u200c to Adam Andrzejewski, the Founder &#038; \u200cCEO of Open the Books, the\u2062 ORR&#8217;s grantmaking\u200c incentivizes\u2064 mass migration into the United States. He explains that the news of generous benefits and \u2064support available \u200din America acts as a\u2062 powerful\u200c magnet for people seeking\u200c a new life.<\/p>\n<p>Former HHS Director \u2064of the Office of Civil Rights, Roger Severino, argues that the ORR has shifted its focus \u200dfrom \u2064its original refugee-resettlement\u2063 mission to providing a range of free programs that encourage illegal immigration.<\/p>\n<h3>Controversy Surrounding ORR \u2062Director and \u200cFunding Recipients<\/h3>\n<p>Two NGOs that have historically received significant funding from the ORR are also former employers of the current ORR director, Robin Dunn Marcos. Dunn\u2062 Marcos worked for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Church World Service (CWS), both of which receive grants from the ORR.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, \u2064the IRC received over $66 \u200dmillion in government grants for the Preferred Communities\u200c program,\u200d while the CWS received over $64 million.\u200c These figures represent a substantial increase\u200b compared to\u2064 2022. Additionally, the IRC received over $180 million \u2063and the CWS was awarded $125 million in \u2063Refugee and \u2064Entrant\u200b Assistance\u2063 Discretionary Grants from 2013 to 2023.<\/p>\n<p>A \u2064spokesperson for\u200b the ORR stated that \u200cDunn Marcos is recused from participating\u200b in matters involving specific parties in which\u2062 the\u200c IRC is involved, in \u2063accordance\u200c with \u2063the Ethics Pledge. This recusal obligation lasts \u200dfor two years from her appointment date.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the \u2063significant amount of taxpayer funds allocated to the ORR, the office has been unable \u200bto locate up to 85,000 unaccompanied children placed with sponsors in recent years. Many of these children have ended up working\u2064 in\u200d factories and food\u200d processing \u2064plants, in \u200bviolation of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-lost-contact-with-thousands-of-migrant-kids-feds-investigating-whether-teen-migrants-were-released-to-traffickers\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Lost Contact With \u2018Thousands\u2019 Of Migrant Kids, Feds Investigating Whether Teen Migrants Were Released To Traffickers\">child labor laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As the number\u2063 of\u200d foreign nationals \u200dattempting to enter the United States reaches new highs, the ORR budget continues to rise. In November 2023, a record-breaking\u2064 number of nearly \u2063a quarter million \u200dforeign nationals attempted to enter\u2062 the country through the\u200b southern border. This includes a surge in Chinese nationals and a 1,000% increase\u2063 in illegal immigration from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, \u2063and\u2064 the Dominican Republic, among other countries.<\/p>\n<p>Border\u2062 security and mass illegal immigration are\u200b expected\u200c to\u2064 be key issues in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-rand-paul-offers-dr-rachel-levine-as-example-of-radical-agenda-riding-bidens-coattails\/\" title=\"Sen. Rand Paul Offers Dr. Rachel Levine As Example Of Radical Agenda Riding Biden\u2019s Coattails\">upcoming presidential election<\/a>, with\u2062 multiple public opinion polls indicating that over 60% of respondents disapprove of President Biden&#8217;s handling \u2064of the border.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How\u200c have\u2063 allegations of corruption \u2062within the ORR and its funding\u200d recipients\u2063 affected public perception \u200dof the organization, and what questions does it raise about the use of taxpayer money?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  The ORR and its\u200d director, Jally Chan, have faced\u2063 criticism for their management of the refugee\u2063 resettlement\u200c programs and the allocation of funds.\u200c \u2064According to \u2062reports, Chan has no prior experience\u200c in refugee resettlement \u200bor immigration policy, \u200craising concerns about her qualifications for the position.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, there have been allegations of corruption \u2062within the ORR and its funding recipients.\u200d In 2021, it was revealed that several organizations receiving ORR funds were connected to\u200c non-profit\u2062 organizations run by relatives \u2062of ORR officials. This raises questions about potential conflicts of\u2064 interest and the proper use of taxpayer money.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, some \u2062argue that the ORR&#8217;s focus on providing extensive \u200cbenefits and \u200bsupport to refugees and foreign nationals incentivizes \u2064further\u2064 illegal immigration. Critics claim\u2062 that the generous assistance available in the \u200bUnited States encourages individuals to take their chances and attempt to \u200benter the country \u2064unlawfully.<\/p>\n<p>The influx of foreign nationals attempting\u2062 to enter the United States \u200chas overwhelmed the \u200cORR&#8217;s capacity to effectively handle and process asylum claims.\u200b The backlog\u2062 of \u200bcases \u2064and the lack of resources have resulted in overcrowded detention facilities,\u2063 inadequate medical care, and a strain on local communities near the border.<\/p>\n<p>Opponents\u2063 of the\u2063 ORR&#8217;s \u200drefugee resettlement programs argue that the federal government should prioritize\u2064 its resources and focus on addressing the needs of American citizens before allocating billions of dollars to aid foreign \u2064nationals. They contend that there are\u200d homeless and disadvantaged Americans \u2063who could benefit from the same level \u2063of \u200battention and assistance that is being provided to refugees.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, proponents argue that the United States has a moral obligation \u2062to provide refuge and assistance to those fleeing persecution and violence in their home\u200c countries. They believe\u2064 that\u200b the\u2063 ORR&#8217;s programs are essential\u200c for helping refugees integrate into American\u2064 society and\u2062 become self-sufficient.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the issue of refugee resettlement\u200d and the\u200c allocation \u2063of federal funds is a polarizing topic that continues to spark debates and controversy. While some argue for stricter immigration policies and\u200b a reevaluation of the ORR&#8217;s programs, others advocate for compassion and support for those in need. The Biden administration&#8217;s proposed budget for 2024 reflects\u2064 a commitment\u200b to continuing the funding\u2064 of\u200b refugee resettlement programs, but \u200dthe discussion \u200dsurrounding these programs is far from over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent watchdog report shows that the federal government spent almost $20 billion of taxpayer money on refugee resettlement programs in the past two years. This amount has increased due to the rising number of foreign nationals seeking entry into the United States. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) received these funds and operates under government control<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":503,"featured_media":2157514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2157513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/503"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2157513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2157514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2157513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2157513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2157513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}