This is not good... Staff and Friends - Take Action to Save Refugee Resettlement Program from Funding Cuts! [spamtrap bayes][spamtrap heur]
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Friends of Nepal (Aaron)
Feb 26, 2011, 2:14:30 PM2/26/11
to Bhutanese Group
Check with your local agencies and see if they are organizing anything locally.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Juliane Ramic <jra...@nscphila.org>
Date: Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 9:46 AM
Subject: FW: NSC Staff and Friends - Take Action to Save Refugee Resettlement Program from Funding Cuts! [spamtrap bayes][spamtrap heur]
To: Juliane Ramic <jra...@nscphila.org>
Hi Friends - We need your help. Please see below. There is a 45% cut in
the refugee program that is being proposed. This would mean cuts to
food, services, and protection to refugees overseas and a drastic cut in
funding for services for refugees once they arrive in the US. If you
are available, we'd love to have you join us on Friday. If you are not
available, please contact your member of congress at your convenience
this week!
Please help us circulate this announcement!
All the best,
Juliane
-----Original Message-----
From: Leyla Dursunova
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 8:48 AM
To: RCS; LEGAL; SeniorCenter; ESL; Translation
Subject: NSC Staff and Friends - Take Action to Save Refugee
Resettlement Program from Funding Cuts!
Importance: High
Good morning:
We will be hosting two phone banking sessions at NSC tomorrow. Please
spread the word!
Who: All who care about NSC
What: Calling the legislators to prevent refugee resettlement program
funding cuts
Where: Nationalities Service Center, 1216 Arch Street, 4th Floor
When: 12 noon - 2pm, and 4pm - 6pm, 2/25/2011
See you all there!
Leyla
-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Mulligan
Sent: Tue 2/22/2011 14:23
To: Admin-Dev; ESL; LEGAL; RCS; SeniorCenter; Translation; Beth Shapiro;
Bill Mezger; Ceci M. Lusardi; Jose Campos; Karen Buck; Kathy Ochroch;
Kushinga Makamba; Malik Boyd; Marc Altshuler; Melody Wong; Nicole Simon;
So...@post.harvard.edu; Stanley Straughter; Sue Jacquette; Tendai
Mutsinze; Tolbert, Vera; Zeina El-Halabi
Subject: FW: ACTION ALERT! Call your member of Congress!
Dear Board and Staff Members,
We just got off a conference call on advocacy regarding threatened cuts
to refugee funding. The House of Representatives is proposing cuts to
the two main refugee resettlement funding streams: the MRA (Migration
and Refugee Assistance) account (which funds activities of the
Department of State, including overseas refugee assistance and domestic
refugee resettlement work) and ORR (the Office of Refugee Resettlement
within the Department of Health and Human Services). The House bill
would cut MRA funding by 45%, while the proposed cut to ORR funding is
about 10%.
Advocates in Washington are advising that we contact our US Senators to
strongly urge that the Congress not cut funding for refugee admissions
and resettlement. Below you will find advocacy talking points on these
issues. Please take the time this week to call Congressional offices.
We will be making visits to the district offices of our Senators very
soon. If anyone has strong ties to those offices, or to our
Philadelphia House Members, please let me know right away. Thanks.
Dennis Mulligan | Executive Director
Nationalities Service Center
1216 Arch Street, 4th Floor | Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215.893.8400 | Fax: 215.735.9718
Website: www.nscphila.org <http://www.nscphila.org/>
Serving immigrants and refugees in the Delaware Valley since 1921.
PLEASE DONATE! <http://www.nscphila.org/index.php/contribute/>
From: Danielle Bolks [mailto:dbo...@USCRIDC.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 3:03 PM
To: Executives
Cc: Zoeann Murphy; Sarah Cady; Peter Limon; Lee Williams; Alison Seiler;
Tricia Swartz; Lavinia Limon
Subject: ACTION ALERT! Call your member of Congress!
Importance: High
Dear Colleagues,
Help us stop Congress from cutting funding to refugees:
Call your Members of Congress and urge them to support strong Fiscal
Year 2011 funding for refugee accounts,
Office of Refugee Resettlement and Migration and Refugee Assistance
Below is background information on the budget situation, talking points
to use during the call, and directions on how to get in touch with your
Members of Congress. Please take a minute to make this call to your
Senators and Representative, it is very important that we make our voice
heard!
Background: Next week the House of Representatives will begin
considering funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011. While the
details of the proposal are not yet known, it is likely that funding for
many of the discretionary programs, such as refugee admissions and
services to refugees in the U.S., will be decreased as compared to
Fiscal Year 2010 levels. For example, the overall cap for the
international affairs budget, which among other initiatives funds Bureau
of Population, Refugees and Migration, has been set at 17 percent lower
than Fiscal Year 2010. The overall cap for the Department of Health and
Human Services has also been decreased.
What We Need to Do: Please call your Senators and Representatives and
urge them to not cut and support strong funding for the Office of
Refugee Resettlement and Migration and Refugee Assistance. Please call
as soon as possible and no later than the end of next week. It is
important that as many as possible call their MoCs. It is especially
important for you to call if your Member is on one of two Appropriations
subcommittees: Subcommittee of Labor, Health, and Human Services (funds
ORR) and Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (funds PRM).
Please see below for the list of Members.
Talking Points:
- Hello, my name is [name] and I'm calling from [name of
town/city]. I am the [position title] at [name of resettlement agency]
in [name of city].
- I am calling to ask [Senator/Representative] to not cut and
support strong funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement and
Migration and Refugee Assistance.
- My agency resettles and provides services to refugees in
[name towns/cities in the member's district]. [Describe what you and
your community do to support refugees and discuss the impact of cuts on
funding could have on refugees in your community]
- As a constituent, I deeply care about the fate of refugees in
the U.S. and our humanitarian commitment to vulnerable people overseas.
Cutting these accounts will have a devastating impact on refugees and
the communities hosting them.
To find out who represents you in Congress: Go to www.senate.gov and
www.house.gov to find out who your Senators and Representatives are.
Call Washington, DC. The Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121 can connect
you to the DC offices of your Senators and Representatives.
If you have any questions: Please contact Danielle Bolks at
dbo...@uscridc.org.
Additional Talking Points
- The current economic/fiscal context: we understand the
current economic/financial situation and understand that Congress and
the Administration have to make difficult decisions in relation to the
budget. We believe that cutting current level of funding for refugees
would have a devastating effect on refugees resettled in the U.S. and
the communities that welcome them.
- Overall funding for ORR has been chronically insufficient:
ORR funding has been stagnant for decades in many programs. That means
that today ORR is serving an increasingly complex and diverse population
with the same amount of resources that served a rather homogenous
population several decades ago.
- Supporting the public-private partnership: one of the
greatest characteristics of the URSP is the partnership between the U.S.
government and private organizations. Voluntary Agencies, employers,
churches, local NGOs, community groups, etc. work together to welcome
refugees across the U.S. We are committed to continue our support to
refugees, but the work cannot be accomplished without strong support and
financial follow-through on the part of the U.S. government.
- Federal funds release pressure on state and local
governments: it is important that the federal government provides
adequate resources for ORR, since severely cutting funding for the
program would mean additional pressure for state and local governments
to assist refugees with their already dwindling budgets.
- Smart investment: Providing adequate funding for refugees
through ORR to fund employment services, case management and other
upfront services will save resources in the long term, reduce reliance
on welfare and promote early self-sufficiency. Refugees have proven that
they will be successful and contribute back to their communities if
given the proper foundation to rebuild their lives in the U.S.
- Life saving assistance: Programs funded by the U.S.
Government through these accounts are life saving. Without these
programs, refugees will not receive necessary food, water, and medical
assistance. The economic crisis has had a profound impact on the United
States, but it has also had a devastating impact on extremely vulnerable
populations supported by these life-saving programs. For many of these
people, the assistance provided by the international community is their
only source of support and last option for relief.
- Stabilizing assistance: Humanitarian assistance programs
funded through this account support communities in countries of
strategic importance to the U.S., such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
and Somalia. Funds go towards such programs as access to economic
opportunities, keeping kids in schools, and protecting and empowering
women. These all serve as a crucial stabilizing presence, giving people
hope for the future and supporting broader U.S. foreign policy
interests.
Members of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human
Services
Members of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign
Operations
HOUSE
HOUSE
Republicans
Republicans
Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Chairman
Kay Granger (R-TX), Chairwoman
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Tom Cole (R-OK)
Kay Granger (R-TX)
Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Mike Simpson (R-ID)
Charles Dent (R-PA)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Steve Austria (R-OH)
Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
Democrats
Democrats
Rosa L. DeLauro (CT), Ranking Member
Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Member
Nita M. Lowey (NY)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (IL)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
Steven R. Rothman (D-NJ)
Barbara Lee (CA)
SENATE
SENATE
Democrats
Democrats
Tom Harkin (Chairman), IA
Patrick Leahy (Chairman), VT
Daniel Inouye, HI
Daniel Inoyue (HI)
Herb Kohl, WI
Tom Harkin (IA)
Patty Murray, WA
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Mary Landrieu, LA
Dick Durbin (IL)
Dick Durbin, IL
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Jack Reed, RI
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor, AR
Sherrod Brown (OH)
Barbara Mikulski, MD
Sherrod Brown, OH
Republicans
Republicans
Richard Shelby (Ranking), AL
Lindsey Graham (SC), Ranking Member
Thad Cochran, MS
Mitch McConnell (KY)
Kay Bailey Hutchison, TX
Mark Kirk (IL)
Lamar Alexander, TN
Roy Blunt (MO)
Ron Johnson, WI
Dan Coats (IN)
Mark Kirk, IL
Ron Johnson (WI)
Lindsey Graham, SC
John Hoeven (ND)
Jerry Moran, KS
Danielle Bolks, MSW
Special Projects Manager
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 350
Arlington, VA 22202-3711
Phone: (703) 310-1130, ext. 3055
Fax: (703) 769-4241
www.refugees.org <http://www.refugees.org/>
<http://www.refugees.org/>
From: Juliane Ramic <jra...@nscphila.org>
Date: Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 9:46 AM
Subject: FW: NSC Staff and Friends - Take Action to Save Refugee Resettlement Program from Funding Cuts! [spamtrap bayes][spamtrap heur]
To: Juliane Ramic <jra...@nscphila.org>
Hi Friends - We need your help. Please see below. There is a 45% cut in
the refugee program that is being proposed. This would mean cuts to
food, services, and protection to refugees overseas and a drastic cut in
funding for services for refugees once they arrive in the US. If you
are available, we'd love to have you join us on Friday. If you are not
available, please contact your member of congress at your convenience
this week!
Please help us circulate this announcement!
All the best,
Juliane
-----Original Message-----
From: Leyla Dursunova
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 8:48 AM
To: RCS; LEGAL; SeniorCenter; ESL; Translation
Subject: NSC Staff and Friends - Take Action to Save Refugee
Resettlement Program from Funding Cuts!
Importance: High
Good morning:
We will be hosting two phone banking sessions at NSC tomorrow. Please
spread the word!
Who: All who care about NSC
What: Calling the legislators to prevent refugee resettlement program
funding cuts
Where: Nationalities Service Center, 1216 Arch Street, 4th Floor
When: 12 noon - 2pm, and 4pm - 6pm, 2/25/2011
See you all there!
Leyla
-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Mulligan
Sent: Tue 2/22/2011 14:23
To: Admin-Dev; ESL; LEGAL; RCS; SeniorCenter; Translation; Beth Shapiro;
Bill Mezger; Ceci M. Lusardi; Jose Campos; Karen Buck; Kathy Ochroch;
Kushinga Makamba; Malik Boyd; Marc Altshuler; Melody Wong; Nicole Simon;
So...@post.harvard.edu; Stanley Straughter; Sue Jacquette; Tendai
Mutsinze; Tolbert, Vera; Zeina El-Halabi
Subject: FW: ACTION ALERT! Call your member of Congress!
Dear Board and Staff Members,
We just got off a conference call on advocacy regarding threatened cuts
to refugee funding. The House of Representatives is proposing cuts to
the two main refugee resettlement funding streams: the MRA (Migration
and Refugee Assistance) account (which funds activities of the
Department of State, including overseas refugee assistance and domestic
refugee resettlement work) and ORR (the Office of Refugee Resettlement
within the Department of Health and Human Services). The House bill
would cut MRA funding by 45%, while the proposed cut to ORR funding is
about 10%.
Advocates in Washington are advising that we contact our US Senators to
strongly urge that the Congress not cut funding for refugee admissions
and resettlement. Below you will find advocacy talking points on these
issues. Please take the time this week to call Congressional offices.
We will be making visits to the district offices of our Senators very
soon. If anyone has strong ties to those offices, or to our
Philadelphia House Members, please let me know right away. Thanks.
Dennis Mulligan | Executive Director
Nationalities Service Center
1216 Arch Street, 4th Floor | Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215.893.8400 | Fax: 215.735.9718
Website: www.nscphila.org <http://www.nscphila.org/>
Serving immigrants and refugees in the Delaware Valley since 1921.
PLEASE DONATE! <http://www.nscphila.org/index.php/contribute/>
From: Danielle Bolks [mailto:dbo...@USCRIDC.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 3:03 PM
To: Executives
Cc: Zoeann Murphy; Sarah Cady; Peter Limon; Lee Williams; Alison Seiler;
Tricia Swartz; Lavinia Limon
Subject: ACTION ALERT! Call your member of Congress!
Importance: High
Dear Colleagues,
Help us stop Congress from cutting funding to refugees:
Call your Members of Congress and urge them to support strong Fiscal
Year 2011 funding for refugee accounts,
Office of Refugee Resettlement and Migration and Refugee Assistance
Below is background information on the budget situation, talking points
to use during the call, and directions on how to get in touch with your
Members of Congress. Please take a minute to make this call to your
Senators and Representative, it is very important that we make our voice
heard!
Background: Next week the House of Representatives will begin
considering funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011. While the
details of the proposal are not yet known, it is likely that funding for
many of the discretionary programs, such as refugee admissions and
services to refugees in the U.S., will be decreased as compared to
Fiscal Year 2010 levels. For example, the overall cap for the
international affairs budget, which among other initiatives funds Bureau
of Population, Refugees and Migration, has been set at 17 percent lower
than Fiscal Year 2010. The overall cap for the Department of Health and
Human Services has also been decreased.
What We Need to Do: Please call your Senators and Representatives and
urge them to not cut and support strong funding for the Office of
Refugee Resettlement and Migration and Refugee Assistance. Please call
as soon as possible and no later than the end of next week. It is
important that as many as possible call their MoCs. It is especially
important for you to call if your Member is on one of two Appropriations
subcommittees: Subcommittee of Labor, Health, and Human Services (funds
ORR) and Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (funds PRM).
Please see below for the list of Members.
Talking Points:
- Hello, my name is [name] and I'm calling from [name of
town/city]. I am the [position title] at [name of resettlement agency]
in [name of city].
- I am calling to ask [Senator/Representative] to not cut and
support strong funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement and
Migration and Refugee Assistance.
- My agency resettles and provides services to refugees in
[name towns/cities in the member's district]. [Describe what you and
your community do to support refugees and discuss the impact of cuts on
funding could have on refugees in your community]
- As a constituent, I deeply care about the fate of refugees in
the U.S. and our humanitarian commitment to vulnerable people overseas.
Cutting these accounts will have a devastating impact on refugees and
the communities hosting them.
To find out who represents you in Congress: Go to www.senate.gov and
www.house.gov to find out who your Senators and Representatives are.
Call Washington, DC. The Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121 can connect
you to the DC offices of your Senators and Representatives.
If you have any questions: Please contact Danielle Bolks at
dbo...@uscridc.org.
Additional Talking Points
- The current economic/fiscal context: we understand the
current economic/financial situation and understand that Congress and
the Administration have to make difficult decisions in relation to the
budget. We believe that cutting current level of funding for refugees
would have a devastating effect on refugees resettled in the U.S. and
the communities that welcome them.
- Overall funding for ORR has been chronically insufficient:
ORR funding has been stagnant for decades in many programs. That means
that today ORR is serving an increasingly complex and diverse population
with the same amount of resources that served a rather homogenous
population several decades ago.
- Supporting the public-private partnership: one of the
greatest characteristics of the URSP is the partnership between the U.S.
government and private organizations. Voluntary Agencies, employers,
churches, local NGOs, community groups, etc. work together to welcome
refugees across the U.S. We are committed to continue our support to
refugees, but the work cannot be accomplished without strong support and
financial follow-through on the part of the U.S. government.
- Federal funds release pressure on state and local
governments: it is important that the federal government provides
adequate resources for ORR, since severely cutting funding for the
program would mean additional pressure for state and local governments
to assist refugees with their already dwindling budgets.
- Smart investment: Providing adequate funding for refugees
through ORR to fund employment services, case management and other
upfront services will save resources in the long term, reduce reliance
on welfare and promote early self-sufficiency. Refugees have proven that
they will be successful and contribute back to their communities if
given the proper foundation to rebuild their lives in the U.S.
- Life saving assistance: Programs funded by the U.S.
Government through these accounts are life saving. Without these
programs, refugees will not receive necessary food, water, and medical
assistance. The economic crisis has had a profound impact on the United
States, but it has also had a devastating impact on extremely vulnerable
populations supported by these life-saving programs. For many of these
people, the assistance provided by the international community is their
only source of support and last option for relief.
- Stabilizing assistance: Humanitarian assistance programs
funded through this account support communities in countries of
strategic importance to the U.S., such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
and Somalia. Funds go towards such programs as access to economic
opportunities, keeping kids in schools, and protecting and empowering
women. These all serve as a crucial stabilizing presence, giving people
hope for the future and supporting broader U.S. foreign policy
interests.
Members of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human
Services
Members of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign
Operations
HOUSE
HOUSE
Republicans
Republicans
Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Chairman
Kay Granger (R-TX), Chairwoman
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Tom Cole (R-OK)
Kay Granger (R-TX)
Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Mike Simpson (R-ID)
Charles Dent (R-PA)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Steve Austria (R-OH)
Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
Democrats
Democrats
Rosa L. DeLauro (CT), Ranking Member
Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Member
Nita M. Lowey (NY)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (IL)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
Steven R. Rothman (D-NJ)
Barbara Lee (CA)
SENATE
SENATE
Democrats
Democrats
Tom Harkin (Chairman), IA
Patrick Leahy (Chairman), VT
Daniel Inouye, HI
Daniel Inoyue (HI)
Herb Kohl, WI
Tom Harkin (IA)
Patty Murray, WA
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Mary Landrieu, LA
Dick Durbin (IL)
Dick Durbin, IL
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Jack Reed, RI
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor, AR
Sherrod Brown (OH)
Barbara Mikulski, MD
Sherrod Brown, OH
Republicans
Republicans
Richard Shelby (Ranking), AL
Lindsey Graham (SC), Ranking Member
Thad Cochran, MS
Mitch McConnell (KY)
Kay Bailey Hutchison, TX
Mark Kirk (IL)
Lamar Alexander, TN
Roy Blunt (MO)
Ron Johnson, WI
Dan Coats (IN)
Mark Kirk, IL
Ron Johnson (WI)
Lindsey Graham, SC
John Hoeven (ND)
Jerry Moran, KS
Danielle Bolks, MSW
Special Projects Manager
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 350
Arlington, VA 22202-3711
Phone: (703) 310-1130, ext. 3055
Fax: (703) 769-4241
www.refugees.org <http://www.refugees.org/>
<http://www.refugees.org/>
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