Two major factors influence U.S. decisions to aid refugees: (1) an American bipartisan tradition of humanitarian concern for suffering people and (2) a concern that refugee flows can lead to instability in countries important to U.S. foreign policy. U.S. assistance takes the form of aid to refugees in their countries of asylum and admission to the United States for some refugees of special concern. It also considers the role of the international community through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The number of refugees in camps around the world increased steadily as a result of the conflicts that erupted after the end of the Cold War, straining the regular budgets of the agencies that assist them. P.L. U.S. Funding for MRA and ERMA

		Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) Account

MRA funding is authorized in the legislation governing the Department of State and appropriated in the Foreign Operations Appropriation legislation. (In addition, under the provisions of the Refugee Act of 1980, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees provide oversight of refugee admissions and assistance through a required annual consultation with the Administration.) Because humanitarian emergencies are growing in number, complexity, and size, MRA funding faces enormous budget pressures, both from traditional foreign assistance programs and from newly emerging national priorities. It also includes reception and placement grants to cover initial resettlement in the United States. (The bulk of the domestic costs of refugee resettlement in the United States is appropriated in the HHS authorization and appropriation legislation.) Table 1 shows amounts appropriated and how it was allocated for the last few years. P.L. 107-115 was signed into law on January 10, 2002 and appropriated $705 million for the MRA and $15 million for ERMA for FY2002. For FY2003, the President requested $705 million for the Migration and Refugee Assistance account. The Senate Committee on Appropriations ( S.Rept. 107-219 , on S. 2779 ) recommended $782 million for MRA and $32 million for ERMA; the House Appropriations Committee ( H.Rept. 5410 ) recommended $800 million for the MRA and $20 million for ERMA. 107-228 , authorizes $820 in each of FY2002 and FY2003 for the MRA. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA)

Because refugee emergencies occur at unpredictable intervals, the United States established ERMA in 1962. The appropriation for FY2002 was $15 million and the FY2003 request is also $15 million. The U.S. government is the largest contributor to UNHCR, providing at least 25% of all contributions. The Debate in Congress

Recent debate in Congress over the refugee budget has included both the funding issues facing all the programs in the foreign aid account and the policy differences that arise both between the Administration and the Congress and within Congress over U.S. refugee policy. Improving the Efficiency of International Refugee Programs

Meeting the growing need for humanitarian assistance to refugees in other countries within a constrained budget can also be helped by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of international refugee organizations.
The United States is the largest national contributor to international humanitarian assistance programs for refugees. Traditionally, it contributes to refugee appeals both to alleviate the suffering of innocent victims and out of concern that refugee flows can lead to instability in countries or regions important to U.S. foreign policy interests. The United States is also the largest resettlement country. The money for humanitarian assistance and some of the costs of resettlement in the United States is authorized under the Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account of the Department of State Authorization bill and appropriated in the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. Though not the topic of this report, the bulk of assistance for refugees who resettle in the United States is authorized and appropriated in the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) legislation. This report discusses the size of the U.S. international refugee assistance budget and its allocation between humanitarian assistance and admissions.
With the end of the Cold War, U.S. refugee policy began to evolve to reflect changes taking place in the international arena. The nearly exclusive anti-communist focus began to shift as conflicts among nations moved away from the constraints of superpower politics and toward a more complex array of internal disputes. These new conditions led to a change in the nature of refugee emergencies and in the types of programs that the United States and the international community provide for refugees and other people forced to flee their homes. In addition, it resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of people needing assistance. These factors also influenced the continuing debate between the Administration and the Congress and within the Congress about the U.S. role with regard to refugees.
The MRA is part of the foreign aid appropriation, and because humanitarian emergencies are growing in number, complexity, and size, it faces enormous budget pressures, both from traditional foreign assistance programs and from newly emerging national priorities. While refugee assistance enjoys considerable support, Congress and the Administration face the difficult task of funding humanitarian needs within a constrained budget. For the last several years, with the exception of FY1999, the appropriation for the MRA account has remained at about $700 million.
P.L. 107-115, signed into law on January 10, 2002, appropriated $705 million for the MRA and $15 million for the Emergency Refugee and Migration assistance (ERMA) for FY2002. The President requested $705 million for MRA and $15 million for ERMA for FY2003. The Senate Committee on Appropriations (S.Rept. 107-219) recommended $782 million for the MRA and $32 million for ERMA, whereas the House Appropriations Committee (House Rept. 107-663) recommended $800 million for the MRA and $20 million for ERMA. P.L. 107-228, to authorize appropriations for the Department of State for FY2002 and FY2003, was enacted on September 20, 2002. This report will be updated periodically.