Sponsors (19)
Official title: To prohibit United States contributions to the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and for other purposes.
Introduced March 3, 2025 by Lance Gooden · Last progress March 3, 2025
The bill trades reduced U.S. spending and greater transparency/oversight of refugee-related funding for the risk of significantly reduced humanitarian assistance and weakened diplomatic partnerships that could harm refugees and complicate international coordination.
Taxpayers: Federal outlays tied to IOM, UNHCR, and UNRWA would be reduced and the GAO review could identify and enable recovery of misspent funds, lowering net federal expenditures.
Federal oversight bodies and taxpayers: The bill requires detailed transparency on FY2021–2025 U.S. funding to IOM, UNHCR, and UNRWA and an independent GAO audit of the Refugee Travel Loan Program, improving accountability and the chance to identify mismanagement.
Federal policymakers: The legislation asserts greater U.S. control over which multilateral agencies receive American assistance by blocking funds to agencies deemed objectionable, allowing policy-driven allocation of foreign assistance.
Refugees, displaced persons, and Palestine refugees: Reduced U.S. funding to IOM, UNHCR, and UNRWA and potential follow-on restrictions risk substantially reducing humanitarian assistance, education, and health services for vulnerable populations.
U.S. diplomatic efforts and program partnerships: Cutting or seeking repayment of funds and conditioning support could weaken U.S. influence, complicate diplomatic relations, and reduce coordination on refugee and migration issues.
Regions and border communities dependent on multilateral assistance: Loss of multilateral funding may shift humanitarian burdens to other donors or leave service gaps and slow assistance operations in areas that rely on these agencies.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Bars federal contributions to IOM, UNHCR, and UNRWA and requires a GAO study of federal assistance to those agencies plus an audit of the Refugee Travel Loan Program.
Prohibits the federal government from making any contributions to three United Nations agencies: the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete a study identifying federal assistance programs that provided grants or loans to those three organizations (including recipient nongovernmental organizations and amounts by program for FY2021–FY2025) and an audit of the State Department’s Refugee Travel Loan Program, and to report findings to Congress within 180 days of enactment.