IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1073 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Presidential 

Determination of the annual refugee admissions limit in fiscal year 

2019 shall be no less than 110,000 and that President Trump and 

his administration must operate the United States Refugee Admissions 

Program (USRAP) in good faith. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia (for himself, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. 

NORTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 

LARSEN of Washington, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. 

ESPAILLAT, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. MOORE, Mr. DANNY K. 

DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. LEE, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. GUTIE ́RREZ, Mr. BEYER, Mr. POCAN, Mr. SMITH of 

Washington, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. BASS, Mr. 

MEEKS, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. 

ESHOO, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. SIRES, Mr. CORREA, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. BEN RAY LUJA ́N of 

New Mexico, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. WELCH, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

of Texas, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. KEATING, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. ROYBALALLARD, Ms. HANABUSA, and Mr. DOGGETT) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the Presidential Determination of the annual refugee 

admissions limit in fiscal year 2019 shall be no less 

than 110,000 and that President Trump and his adminVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:08 Sep 20, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\HR1073.IH HR1073

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•HRES 1073 IH 

istration must operate the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) in good faith. 

Whereas, on September 17, 2018, the President of the 

United States set the Presidential Determination of the 

refugee admissions limit in fiscal year 2019 at 30,000; 

Whereas the President is required by law to consult with 

Congress on the refugee admission numbers before 

issuing a Presidential Determination, and failed to do so 

before issuing the 2019 refugee ceiling; 

Whereas the United States has been a global leader in responding to displacement crises around the world and 

promoting the safety, health, and well-being of refugees 

and displaced persons; 

Whereas according to the United Nations High Commissioner 

for Refugees, there are more than 69 million displaced 

people worldwide, the worst displacement crisis in global 

history, including almost 25.4 million refugees, more than 

half of whom are children; 

Whereas 84 percent of the world’s refugees are hosted in developing regions, with more than a quarter in the world’s 

least developed countries; 

Whereas the United States leverages resettlement to encourage other countries to keep their doors open to refugees, 

allow refugee children to attend school, and allow adults 

to work; 

Whereas the USRAP is the world’s most thorough resettlement vetting program and a critical pillar of our national 

security and our foreign policy; 


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•HRES 1073 IH 

Whereas over the course of nearly 4 decades since the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980, the average annual refugee admissions goal has been 95,000; 

Whereas in fiscal year 2016, the United States admitted approximately 85,000 refugees; 

Whereas despite the Presidential Determination in fiscal year 

2017 that the admission of up to 110,000 refugees was 

justified, President Trump and his administration only 

admitted 53,000 refugees, abandoning more than 56,000 

refugees whom the United States had pledged to welcome; 

Whereas the Presidential Determination in fiscal year 2018 

is that the admission of up to 45,000 refugees is justified, the lowest in the history of the USRAP; 

Whereas it is projected that fewer than 22,000 refugees will 

be admitted to the United States during fiscal year 2018, 

the lowest number of refugee arrivals in the history of 

the USRAP; and 

Whereas Congress authorized the USRAP under the Refugee 

Act of 1980 and maintains oversight authority to ensure 

that the program is carried out in good faith, to the benefit of United States communities and United States foreign policy objectives: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the 

3 United States to promote the safety, health, and 

4 well-being of refugees, including through resettle5 ment to the United States for those who cannot reVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:59 Sep 20, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1073.IH HR1073

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•HRES 1073 IH 

1 turn home and cannot rebuild their lives in the 

2 country to which they first fled; 

3 (2) urges President Trump and his administra4 tion to affirm the importance of the United States 

5 Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and dem6 onstrate to Congress that they are operating the 

7 program in good faith and in an attempt to meet 

8 their own stated objectives; 

9 (3) urges President Trump and his administra10 tion to make a Presidential Determination that the 

11 admission of not fewer than 110,000 refugees is jus12 tified in fiscal year 2019; 

13 (4) affirms its role in providing oversight and 

14 accountability to ensure that the USRAP is con15 ducted as required under the Refugee Act of 1980; 

16 and 

17 (5) seeks from President Trump and his admin18 istration improved consultation with Congress and 

19 adherence to the clear congressional intent within 

20 the Refugee Act of 1980. 

Æ 


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