The Obama administration plans to spend $4.6 million next year on “emotional wellness” for refugees entering the U.S.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is looking for organizations “to coordinate and promote local health and mental health services and education,” according to a grant forecast from the department, as first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
The grant money is separate from any Medicaid assistance refugees currently receive. The grant “is intended to encourage partnerships with community-based organizations and complement existing care coordination and medical assistance programs,” HHS said.
President Barack Obama would like to bring in 110,ooo refugees into the U.S. during the next fiscal year, the White House announced Tuesday. Grant funding may be dependent on whether HHS receives the entire requested budget for the next fiscal year. HHS requested a total of $2.2 billion for all, “refugee and entrant assistance” in 2017, which is $510 million more than it had to spend in its 2016 budget.
Settling refugees in the U.S. requires a lot of up-front welfare spending, and refugees are eligible for food assistance and insurance programs when they arrive in the county. Admitting just 10,000 Syrian refugees will cost $6.5 billion over 50 years, according to Heritage Foundation policy fellow Robert Rector. (RELATED: Obama Admin To Admit 110,000 Refugees In FY 2017 — Nearly 30 Percent More Than FY 2016)
The funding of this grant may be dependent on whether HHS receives the entire requested budget for the next fiscal year. The department requested a total of $2.2 billion for all “refugee and entrant assistance” in 2017, which is $510 million more than it had to spend in its 2016 budget. (RELATED: Gov’t Plans $1 Million For Refugee Job Training)
Spending on refugee assistance comes from other federal agencies as well. The U.S. Department of Agriculture allocated $564,231 to help refugees sign up for food stamps and to “increase availability of locally-grown, culturally appropriate fruits and vegetables among refugee and immigrant populations.” (RELATED: Gov’t Spends Half A Million On ‘Culturally-Appropriate’ Food Stamps)
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