Before the beginning of each fiscal year, October 1, Cabinet-level representatives of the President are required by law to consult in-person with Members on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on the number of refugees that will be admitted to the country during the upcoming year. This year, that consultation has yet to occur. As a result, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) released the following statement:
“Once again this Administration shows it believes it is above the law. This Administration is clear violation of the Refugee Act of 1980, which mandates that the President set the refugee determination before the start of the fiscal year, following the in-person consultation with Members of Congress. It is simply unacceptable to read in the press that the Administration has come to a final decision on refugee admissions before the mandated meeting with Congress has occurred.
“For more than a decade, Republican and Democratic administrations have consistently held this consultation prior to the start of the fiscal year, recognizing the importance of congressional input before finalizing the refugee determination. This year, as the President prepares to finalize the lowest refugee ceiling in U.S. history, this Administration’s flagrant disregard for the law is an affront to Congress and refugees suffering around the world.”
