September, 11 2019, 12:00am EDT
361 Bipartisan Elected Officials from 46 States Urge President Trump to Welcome Refugees
WASHINGTON
361 local and state elected officials from 46 states expressed their strong support for resettling refugees in their communities in a bipartisan letter sent to President Trump. The letter, supported by Amnesty International, HIAS, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), urges the President to restore the number of refugee admissions to its historical average and resettle at least 95,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2020.
The letter was signed by Governors Jay Inslee of Washington and Tim Walz of Minnesota. They were joined by 64 Mayors, including Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago, Mayor Tim Mahoney of Fargo, Mayor David Briley of Nashville, as well as Mayors Steve Adler of Austin, Eric Johnson of Dallas, and Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio.
Among the signatories were also city council members, state legislators, and other state and local elected leaders from all levels of elected government, who point to the many benefits, economic and otherwise, that refugees bring to their communities. They include elected officials from nearly every state in the United States that resettle refugees, whose support for the resettlement program sharply contrasts with the President's recent efforts to allow governors and other local representatives to veto resettlement in their city or state.
Every year, the President determines the number of refugees who should be resettled in the upcoming fiscal year, signaling the United States' commitment to protect those fleeing violence and persecution. Last year, President Trump lowered the refugee admissions goal to an unprecedented 30,000, marking the lowest refugee cap since the Refugee Act was enacted in 1980. Some in the Administration are even advocating for zero admissions in the coming fiscal year.
By signing this letter, these elected officials have joined together to voice their commitment to welcoming refugees in their communities and continuing the United States' longstanding leadership in refugee resettlement.
The letter remains open for signatures. Elected officials at the state or local level who wish to demonstrate their communities' support for refugees and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, can sign on here.
This release is available online at: https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/361-bipartisan-elected-officials-from-46-states-urge-president-trump-to-welcome-refugees/
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Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.
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"It's stuff like this that will cost us manufacturing jobs/opportunities," warned one critic.
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As part of President-elect Donald Trump's mission to roll back the Biden administration's climate policies, the Republican may cancel contracts to electrify the U.S. Postal Service's fleet, Reutersrevealed Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with transition team discussions.
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Ford did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on Friday, while Oshkosh said that it "is fully committed to our strong partnership with the USPS and looks forward to continuing to provide our postal carriers with reliable, safe, and sustainable modern delivery vehicles, even as USPS' needs continue to evolve."
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John Hanger, a Democrat who previously held various envirnomental and energy positions in Pennsylvania's government, responded to the Reuters reporting on social media: "Ugh! Canceling contracts to electrify transportation of USPS would be dirty and dumb!"
Meanwhile, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said that "it's stuff like this that will cost us manufacturing jobs/opportunities."
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The analysis comes as the world braces for GOP control of Congress and the White House, with President-elect Donald Trump set to be sworn in next month. Since President Barack Obama signed the ACA—also known as Obamacare—in 2010, elected Republicans including Trump have repeatedly tried to gut or fully repeal the law.
In response to the CBO report, Wyden said, "This is a stark preview of healthcare under Donald Trump: higher insurance premiums for families who buy health coverage on their own, and more uninsured Americans who can't afford health insurance at all."
"Republicans have an opportunity to end their ideological crusade against the Affordable Care Act and work in a bipartisan manner to make healthcare more affordable for working families, but instead they seem poised to hand another big tax break to corporations and the wealthy," warned Wyden, the outgoing Senate Finance Committee chair.
In September, Shaheen and Underwood introduced a bill to make the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits permanent. Shaheen said Thursday that the "new data from CBO confirms what we feared: if Congress fails to extend these tax credits, healthcare costs will skyrocket for millions of families and 3.8 million Americans will lose coverage entirely."
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