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Omnibus Appropriations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018: Refugee and Asylum Services

On March 23, 2018, President Trump signed the omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (H.R. 1625), which passed Congress with bipartisan support. This document provides an overview of the Department of State (DOS) and Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) refugee and asylum-related responsibilities and compares the amounts to those appropriated for FY 2017.

Department of State (DOS)

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM): $3.4 billion [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $3.1 billion; 10 percent increase]. This item provides funding for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) and to resettle refugees in the U.S.

  • Migration and Refugee Assistance: $928 million [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $913 million; 2 percent increase]. This item provides funding necessary to meet the needs of refugees and other displaced people, whose survival depends heavily on the international humanitarian system

 

  • Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO): $2.4 billion [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $2.1 billion; 14 percent increase]. This item provides overseas humanitarian assistance to support those displaced by conflict, providing support to the communities in foreign countries that host them.

 

Department of Health and Human Services

Refugee and Entrant Assistance: $1.9 billion [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $1.7 billion; 12 percent increase].

  • Unaccompanied Alien Children: $1.3 billion [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $948 million; 37 percent decrease]. This funding item provides for the shelter, care and placement of unaccompanied alien children who are referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) after being apprehended at a border, port of entry or in the interior of the U.S.

 

  • Transitional and Medical Services: $320 million [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $490 million; 35 percent decrease]. This program provides refugees and other eligible populations up to eight months financial aid and medical assistance to newly arrived refugees. This program also supplies resources for employment training and placement, case management services, and English language training. The funding level is consistent with expected number of eligible refugee arrivals, which is set to remain below 45,000 in FY2018.

 

  • Refugee Support Services Program: $207 million [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $203 million; 2 percent increase]. This new program combines Refugee Targeted Assistance (FY 2017 $48 million) and Social Services (FY 2017 $155 million) programs into a new Refugee Support Services program as suggested by the Administration. It helps to fund state governments and private non-profit agencies assisting refugees with employment training services.

 

  • Anti-Trafficking in Persons Program: $24 million [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $19 million; 26 percent increase]. This item includes funding for grant programs, contracts and partnerships with government and non-government organizations aimed at combatting trafficking

 

Refugee Health Promotion: $0 [FY 2017 Omnibus Enacted Discretionary Funding: $4.6 million]. Congress eliminated the Refugee Health Promotion program that provides resources to states to support health orientation and education, referrals to medical and mental health services, and access to on-going healthcare for refugees.

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