The United States continues to play a preeminent role in addressing the plight of the world's refugees - through our international assistance and domestic resettlement programs, as well as our diplomatic efforts in support of permanent solutions to refugee situations.

          For FY 1992, we are requesting $491 million for Migration and Refugee Assistance, up from $486 million in FY 1991.

          For our refugee assistance programs overseas, we seek $233 million in FY 1992 funding, a $20 million increase over the FY 1991 level. These programs will continue to focus on basic life-sustaining activities for the most vulnerable groups and support lasting solutions through opportunities for voluntary repatriation and local integration.

          To finance refugee admission and resettlement, we seek $192 million in FY 1992 funding. This will cover the expenses of an estimated 120,000 refuges - about the same number as last year. Most refugee admissions will be from the Soviet Union and Vietnam, but there will, also be admissions from Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Near East. Family reunification will continue to be a priority, as will the resettlement of persecuted religious minorities and former political Prisoners.

          In addition, we request $20 million to replenish the President's Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund, to enable us to respond to unforeseen refugee and migration needs worldwide.

          Another important component of our international development assistance request is our $200 million request for Peace Corps operating expenses.

          The Gulf crisis provides a vivid demonstration of the "frontline" role played by the State Department in protecting American citizens and defending American interests abroad. This is an increasingly expensive responsibility, exacerbated by the demands on the Department to expand operations to meet new political and economic opportunities around the globe. Fluctuations in exchange rates, higher rates of overseas inflation, and the continuing need to enhance the security of our posts and personnel abroad further magnify the problem. Today we face a potential and worrisome weakening of our foreign affairs infrastructure at a time when we are being called upon to meet extraordinary and new challenges.

          Since January 1989, we have placed a high priority on strengthening our ability to manage scarce resources:
          To better match national interests to available resources, we are taking steps to better integrate policy planning with the budget process.
          To strengthen Foreign Service personnel management, we have begun to implement key proposals made by the Bremer and Thomas Commissions.
          To conserve personnel and financial resources, we have set up a new center in Rosslyn, Virginia, to process hundreds of thousands of refugee and asylum applications from the Soviet Union, which can serve as a model to meet future consular and immigration demands.
          To strengthen our physical plant abroad, we have put into place a professional property management system and begun implementation of a five year integrated plan which addresses new construction, rehabilitation, repair, and maintenance.

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