Palmetto State News

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has joined Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 44 other Senate colleagues in introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution aimed at overturning the Biden administration’s rule concerning unaccompanied migrant children. The CRA seeks to implement reforms to the government’s Unaccompanied Children (UC) program.

“From the moment he took office, President Biden unleashed a self-made border disaster. His open border policies have created chaos, put American lives at risk, and empowered the smugglers and cartels that endanger unaccompanied children,” said Senator Scott. “Congress needs to act to push back on the Biden administration’s incompetence at the border, end the exploitation of children, and protect innocent Americans.”

Senator Grassley echoed these sentiments: “The Biden administration ignored warnings from Congress and the Inspector General that its policies put children at risk and instead moved to finalize its current rule. Biden’s Health and Human Services Department has lost tens of thousands of vulnerable kids and handed over many others to abusers and criminals. This exploitation is one of the most heartbreaking tragedies the Biden Border Crisis has created. Since the Biden administration has refused to lift a finger to fix this problem, it’s now up to Congress to put a stop to it.”

Migrant children who enter the U.S. illegally without an adult are detained and placed in the UC program, managed by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The UC program aims to reunify unaccompanied migrant children with family members or other trusted adult sponsors residing in the U.S. The federal government allocates billions of taxpayer dollars to contractors and grantees for operating this program.

The HHS rule that Senator Scott is seeking to overturn was finalized in April.

The resolution is also cosponsored by Senator Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Cindy Hyde-Smith, (R-Miss.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), James Lankford(R-Okla), Katie Britt(R-Ala), Lindsey Graham(R-S.C), Markwayne Mullin(R-Okla), Marco Rubio(R-Fla), Mike Lee(R-Utah), Josh Hawley(R-Mo), Marsha Blackburn(R-Tenn), Deb Fischer(R-Neb). Jerry Moran(R-Kan). Ted Cruz(R-Texas). Dan Sullivan(R-Alaska). Mike Rounds(R-S.D.). John Barrasso(R-Wyo.). John Thune(R-S.D.). And John Boozman(R-Ark).

Text of the resolution can be found here.