Washington, D.C.—CWS today expressed alarm and disappointment in response to the abrupt and sweeping freeze of funding for U.S. foreign assistance, which will cause immediate harm to millions of people who are served by these vital programs around the world. This includes funding for critical services provided to refugees resettled to the United States, as well as humanitarian assistance for forcibly displaced people and communities at-risk of violence, persecution, starvation and exploitation around the world.
“Today, millions of vulnerable people who our nation has pledged to stand beside have been left in danger, with no indication of if or when they will be able to access life-saving assistance again. This abrupt action is an abdication of our values of compassion and an abandonment of our nation’s proud history of being the global leader in humanitarian assistance,” said Rick Santos, President and CEO. “Freezing this vital funding leaves the world’s most at-risk communities out in the cold. We urge the administration and Congress to immediately reverse this misguided and immoral abdication of our country’s leadership role in protecting and defending families in need.”
CWS is one of ten national agencies that partners with the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) to welcome newcomers through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. An executive order issued earlier this week suspended refugee admissions indefinitely. Today’s funding freeze immediately impacts support and critical infrastructure for the program, and will significantly curtail the ability of the U.S. to welcome newcomers in the future.
“The refugees we serve every day deserve the opportunity to rebuild their lives in dignity and become thriving members of our communities. Since World War II, the refugee resettlement program has received overwhelming bipartisan support and has been an important tool in enhancing our nation’s international standing and national security,” said Erol Kekic, Senior Vice President of Programs at CWS. “This administration is turning its back, not only on our proud history, but on many of the families that they now call allies– including Afghans and Ukrainians we have promised to stand behind– and who are vital members of our communities.”
For more information, contact media@cwsglobal.org.
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