Refugee Council USA Unequivocally Opposes the Senate Budget Reconciliation Bill and Its Blatantly Anti-Refugee, Anti-Asylum, Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Family, Anti-American Provisions

Washington, DC —Refugee Council USA strongly opposes the Senate’s budget reconciliation package, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB), which includes sweeping, harmful provisions that would devastate the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, other humanitarian entrants, and immigrant communities in the United States. This nearly 1,000-page bill is not only anti-refugee, anti-asylum, and anti-immigrant, but it also amounts to an unprecedented rollback of basic health, nutrition, and humanitarian protections for all community members – elements that have long defined the United States as a safe haven for many vulnerable populations. RCUSA urges Congress to reject the OBBB and any cruel, counterproductive, and deeply un-American amendments.

“The Senate’s budget reconciliation bill is a shocking betrayal of our American values. This bill represents a devastating reversal of bipartisan commitments that have, for decades, helped newcomers recover, rebuild, and contribute to their new communities. Forcing refugee families to go hungry or without health care will not strengthen our economy or national security, but will do irreparable harm to individuals we have promised to protect and impose unnecessary costs on local systems already under strain. This bill also wrongfully supercharges an immigration enforcement agenda that threatens communities and constitutional protections, expands immigrant and family detention, eviscerates protections for unaccompanied and immigrant children, imposes exorbitant application fees on those seeking humanitarian protection, and increases barriers to seek asylum. These policy changes challenge the foundations of our democracy,” said John Slocum, Executive Director, Refugee Council USA.

RCUSA is particularly alarmed that the OBBB would:

Strip Health Coverage From Refugees and Humanitarian Entrants

The OBBB would cut off hundreds of thousands of lawfully present refugees and humanitarian entrants from critical healthcare programs that have, for decades, provided a lifeline to newly arriving individuals fleeing persecution, war, and violence. The bill would: eliminate refugee access to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), programs that ensure children receive vaccines, pregnant women receive prenatal care, and individuals with chronic conditions get essential treatment; deny access to Medicare, even for refugees who have paid into the system through payroll taxes; and would bar access to Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which currently enable lawful humanitarian entrants to purchase affordable health insurance.

The cumulative impact of these provisions would leave vulnerable individuals, including survivors of torture, domestic violence, and armed conflict, with no access to the medical care they need to survive and thrive. Denying healthcare access to such a large section of the population puts the health of all Americans at risk. 

Deny Refugees and Humanitarian Populations Access to Food

The OBBB would terminate access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for an estimated 250,000 refugees and humanitarian entrants, undermining food security and worsening health disparities. Cutting off this support is not only inhumane, it is economically shortsighted and will increase pressure on emergency food systems and public health institutions.

Supercharge Immigration Enforcement and Family Detention

The bill allocates an astronomical $77 billion for immigration enforcement—$45 billion for new detention facilities and $32 billion for ICE operations, expanding a punitive system that already faces widespread condemnation for abuse and inhumane conditions. This infrastructure would ensure the mass detention and deportation of people who pose no threat, including lawful asylum applicants, torture survivors, and U.S. citizen children with undocumented parents.

Impose Punitive and Unaffordable Fees

The bill introduces non-waivable, exorbitant fees for asylum, parole, TPS, and work permits. For example: A new $100 annual fee for pending asylum applications; A $500 fee for TPS, up from the current $50; A $1,000 fee for parole applications, nearly doubling the cost and removing waiver options.

This legislation is not about fiscal responsibility. It is a direct attack on the moral and legal commitments the United States has made to protect those fleeing persecution and danger. It undermines decades of bipartisan support for refugee resettlement and humanitarian protection.

RCUSA urges all Senators and Representatives to vote NO on the OBBB and to reject any cruel, counterproductive, and deeply un-American amendments. We call on Congress to instead prioritize legislation that affirms human dignity, supports basic support services for all communities, and upholds the fundamental right to seek asylum, refugee, and humanitarian protection.

RCUSA’s previous statements opposing the budget reconciliation bill are available here and here.

Media Contact: Mariam Sayeed, msayeed@rcusa.org 

RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically.

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