BEWARE HB 1388 PASSED

[stronglilly]

HB 1388 PASSED

You just spent $20,000,000 to move members/supporters of Hamas, a terrorist organization, to the United States ; housing, food, transportation, the whole enchilada.

HB 1388 PASSED

Whether you are an Obama fan, or not, EVERYONE IN THE U.S. needs to know....

Something happened... H.R. 1388 was passed, behind our backs. You may want to read about it...

It wasn't mentioned on the news... just went by on the ticker tape at the bottom of the CNN screen.

Obama funds $20M in tax payer dollars to immigrate Hamas Refugees to the USA . This is the news that did not, and will not, make the headlines...

By executive order, President Barack Obama has ordered the expenditure of $20.3 million in "migration assistance" to the Palestinian refugees and "conflict victims" in Gaza .

The "presidential determination" (ain't that nice?) which allows hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with ties to Hamas to resettle in the United States , was signed and appears in the Federal Register.

Few on Capitol Hill, or in the media, took note that the order provides a free ticket replete with housing, transportation and food allowances to individuals who have displayed their overwhelming support to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the parliamentary election of January 2006.

Now we learn that he is allowing thousands of Palestinian refuges to move to, and live in, the US at American taxpayer expense.

These important, and insightful, issues are being "lost" in the blinding bail-outs and "stimulation" packages.

Doubtful? To verify this for yourself:

www.thefederalregister.com/d.p/2009-02-04-E9-2488

Wasn't it the Palestinians who raised monies to help with the election of Obama?

[Jan]

And I sit, a 100% american without a job, can't get any help and they waltz in and BAM giving the red carpet treatment....... that sickens me.

[frankc]

He is a traitor to the American people. He should be impeached. People, don't forget what he has done.

[winchell99]

In order for it to pass, they had to have some Republican votes, too. Not just a Dem. thing.

[Kristi]

Browse > Home / Ask FactCheck / H.R. 1388 Passed “Behind Our Backs?”

H.R. 1388 Passed “Behind Our Backs?”

May 5, 2009

Q: Was H.R. 1388 passed "behind our backs"?

A: This latest e-rumor is a double-header. It recycles one false claim and alludes to another. We’ve debunked both before.

FULL QUESTION

Hi,

I have received three of these from different sources. It sounds fishy to me.

Your comments would be appreciated.

Very Important Notice

⬐ Click to expand/collapse the full text ⬏

Whether you are an Obama fan, or not, EVERYONE IN THE U. S. needs to know….

Something happened… H.R. 1388 was passed yesterday, behind our backs. You may want to read about it. It wasn’t mentioned on the news… just went by on the ticker tape at the bottom of the CNN screen.

Obama funds $20M in tax payer dollars to immigrate Hamas Refugees to the USA. This is the news that didn’t make the headlines…

By executive order, President Barack Obama has ordered the expenditure of $20.3 million in "migration assistance" to the Palestinian refugees and "conflict victims" in Gaza.

The "presidential determination", which allows hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with ties to Hamas to resettle in the United States, was signed on January 27 and appeared in the Federal Register on February 4.

Few on Capitol Hill, or in the media, took note that the order provides a free ticket replete with housing and food allowances to individuals who have displayed their overwhelming support to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the parliamentary election of January 2006.

Let’s review…itemized list of some of Barack Obama’s most recent actions since his inauguration:

His first call to any head of state, as president, was to Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah party in the Palestinian territory.

His first one-on-one television interview with any news organization was with Al Arabia television.

His first executive order was to fund/facilitate abortion(s) not just here within the U. S., but within the world, using U. S. tax payer funds.

He ordered Guantanamo Bay closed and all military trials of detainees halted.

He ordered overseas CIA interrogation centers closed.

He withdrew all charges against the masterminds behind the USS Cole and the "terror attack" on 9/11.

Now we learn that he is allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refuges to move to, and live in, the US at American taxpayer expense.

These important, and insightful, issues are being "lost" in the blinding bail-outs and "stimulation" packages.

Doubtful? To verify this for yourself: www.thefederalregister.com/d.p/2009-02-04-E9-2488

PLEASE PASS THIS ON… AMERICA NEEDS TO KNOW

WE are losing this country at a rapid pace.

FULL ANSWER

No Secret

To start, the claim that H.R. 1388 was passed "behind our backs" is false, and the bill had nothing to do with Palestinian refugees in any case.

H.R. 1388 actually expands AmeriCorps and other federal public service programs, more than tripling the total number of positions to 250,000. It got lots of publicity as it worked its way through Congress, including a widely reprinted Associated Press story on March 31 when the House cleared the final version for the president’s signature. The headline: "Congress Expands Ways for Americans to Help Others."

President Obama later signed the measure at a public ceremony that also got plenty of publicity. The idea that Congress was trying to slip something through unnoticed, or that the news media ignored it, is wrong.

False Claims

The author, we conclude, is alluding to false claims about H.R. 1388 that had been circulating previously on the Internet. We exposed these e-rumors in an Ask FactCheck item we posted March 31. In summary, it said:

Q: Is Congress creating a mandatory public service system? Are participants not allowed to go to church?

A: The national service bill does not mandate that youth must participate nor does it forbid anyone who does participate from going to church.

For full details, click through to read the entire item, which we won’t repeat here.

The e-mail message is mainly devoted to repeating a second false rumor that we had taken on in another Ask FactCheck item on Feb. 19. In summary we said:

Q: Did Obama pay for Hamas-affiliated terrorists to emigrate to the United States?

A: This claim is false. The president’s memorandum to the State Department would pay for refugee assistance in Gaza, not for transporting anyone to the U.S.

Again, consult the full article for more on the Hamas falsehood.

Half-truths

The remainder of the e-mail is a mix of truth and half-truths.

Partly true: It’s true that Palestinian leader Abbas was among the first leaders to receive a telephone call from Obama on the day after he took office. Obama also called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, to signal a determination to press for peace in the region.

The claim that Abbas got a call before the others, however, rests on a statement by Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina, who quoted Obama as saying: "This is my first phone call to a foreign leader, and I’m making it only hours after I took office." We can’t confirm whether or not that part is true. And in any case, as the New York Daily News reported quoting diplomatic sources, "[W]ho a President phones first when he makes a flurry of calls is more often a matter of scheduling and availability, not favoritism."

True: It’s true that Obama’s first formal TV interview after taking office was with Al Arabiya. He said peace talks should resume, and also said, "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy."

Partly True: It is not entirely true that Obama’s "first executive order" facilitates abortions. What the author is referring to is a presidential memorandum (different from an executive order) that was signed Jan. 23. It overturned a policy that was first established by Ronald Reagan, rescinded by Bill Clinton and reimposed by George W. Bush. The so-called "Mexico City Policy" had cut off foreign aid money to any private aid group that provided advice, counseling or information regarding abortion, even if they used their own money for those purposes.

As CNN reported, the result of the order is to allow U.S. money to flow to "clinics that promote abortion or provide counseling or referrals about abortion services." But Obama had signed at least half a dozen executive orders and presidential memoranda before getting to this one, so it was by no means his "first." For the record, Obama said in his memo that the restrictions he overturned "have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning programs in foreign nations."

True: It is true that on Jan. 22 Obama ordered the Guantanamo prison facility to be "closed as soon as practicable" and no later than Jan. 22, 2010. The same order also halted all trials of detainees before military commissions set up during the Bush administration. On the same day he ordered CIA interrogation centers closed down and required that questioning of detainees follow the Army Field Manual.

Partly True: As a consequece of Obama’s shutting down trials by military commission, a judge did drop charges against terrorist suspect Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. But the charges were dismissed "without prejudice," meaning that they can be reinstated at a later date. So the claim that the president "withdrew all charges" is misleading.

–Brooks Jackson

Sources

"Congress Expands Ways For Americans To Help Others." Associated Press. 31 Mar 2009.

"Obama Signs National Service Legislation." CNN.com. 22 Apr 2009.

Sisk, Richard. "New President Barack Obama jumps in on Mideast and stirs a phone flap." New York Daily News. 21 Jan 2009.

"Obama tells Al Arabiya peace talks should resume." Al Arabia news channel. 27 Jan 2009.

"Executive Order 13492 of January 22, 2009; Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained At the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Closure of Detention Facilities." Federal Register. 27 Jan 2009: 4897.

"Executive Order 13491 of January 22, 2009; Ensuring Lawful Interrogations." Federal Register. 27 Jan 2009: 4893.

Tapper, Jake. "Military Commission Charges Dropped Against Terrorist Suspect Al-Nashiri." ABCNews.com. 5 Feb 2009.

"Obama reverses abortion-funding policy." CNN.com. 24 Jan 2009.

Link: http://www.factcheck.org/2009/05/hr-1388-passed-behind-our-backs/

[Deathmonkey]

He is a traitor to the American people. He should be impeached. People, don't forget what he has done.

And what has he done? Really I would like to know, since this is ANOTHER email deal that has already been proven debunked about the President.

I am so tired of both parties sending out garbage emails to get their followers all fired up. See how fast some of you jumped on this story, which was completely taken out of context and some info actually fabricated?

[Guest Ratatap]

And this is just the tip on the iceberg of what all has gone through without the people knowing - How about our shores and seas being given to the UN and GM being sold to China just to name a few that are trying to pass right now..........

GO RV !!!!!!!!!!

[stronglilly]

First of all we need to get all the details straight if we are going to nic pic one....

Obama did in fact allocate $20.3 Million for refugees in Gaza, and signed an executive order to do so.....Obama does in fact supply a free ticket.

They don't have to leave Gaza to receive US paid for Food stamps, housing and other allocations from the US TAX payers by the curtesy of OBAMA.

They can stay home and live off of us.... but if they choose along with other nations, and people, they can opt to come to America with the ERMA on the $100,000 MILLION US TAX PAYERS money by the State Departments Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. NOTICE THE WORD MIGRATION!!!

PRM does bring refugees to America and you don't have to be from Gaza to get it but if you are from Gaza you can apply for it.

Obama did indeed sign a memorandum (functionally identical to an executive order) allocating $20.3 million from the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for refugees and conflict victims in Gaza. ERMA allows the president to appropriate any amount up to $100 million to meet "unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs." The money drawn down from ERMA is put to use by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

PRM does bring refugees from some countries to the United States, and also provides for their basic necessities when they first arrive. PRM contributes funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which provides humanitarian aid such as food, schooling and medical care for Palestinian refugees, primarily in Jordan, Gaza and the West BankInstead, PRM contributes funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which provides humanitarian aid such as food, schooling and medical care for Palestinian refugees, primarily in Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank. In FY2008, UNRWA received about $80 million from the United States, its largest single-country donor. The State Department has announced that the bulk of the new ERMA appropriation – $13.5 million – will go to UNRWA.

The UNRWA is suppose to make sure the money isn't given to terrorist... but I believe it is in the eye of the beholder who the terrorist are... UNRWA legal adviser James Lindsay concluded that the agency has shown an "increasing identification with Palestinian political views," and that "UNRWA has taken very few steps to detect and eliminate terrorists from the ranks of its staff or its beneficiaries, and no steps at all to prevent members of terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, from joining its staff."

SO DID THEY WORD IT WRONG ... MAYBE SO ... BUT THE FACT IS THIS EXCESSIVE AMOUINT OF US TAX DOLLARS IS BEING USED TO FEED,CLOTHE, HOUSE AND MIGRATE THESE NATIONS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE BLOWING THEMSELVES UP AND OUR MEN AND WOMEN. IS THIS RIGHT?

Was the wrong name given for the order maybe so but the facts are the money is still our US TAX DOLLARS and they were in fact ALLOCATED BY OBAMA!

ONE MISTAKE FOR SURE IT WASN'T JUST $20 MILLION THEY HAVE ANOTHER $100,000.00 MILLION AVAILABLE.

And by the way can you guarantee me that there wasn't anything attached to that bill that wasn't disclosed that may be assisting those programs that may have sparked them to make this claim???? It has been proven that they attach things all the time that have nothing to do with the bill to get it pushed through without our knowledge because usually it isn't going to get passed otherwise.

[ajskj]

SIGH.

Not THIS again.

PEOPLE......just because it came in email does NOT MAKE IT TRUE!!!!

About.com

Urban Legends

H.B. 1388 Email Claims Obama Funded Resettlement of Hamas Refugees to U.S.A.

Netlore Archive

By David Emery, About.com Guide

Forwarded email claims President Obama has funded a $20 million resettlement of Hamas refugees to the United States via H.R. 1388 (aka H.B. 1388), a bill supposedly passed 'behind our backs' in Congress.

Description: Forwarded email

Circulating since: April 2009

Status: False

Analysis: (UPDATED) This message promotes the false impression that H.R. 1388 (referred to above as "H.B. 1388"), a bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in 2009, allocated taxpayer funds to resettle Hamas refugees in the United States.

It did not.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act simply revised and reauthorized existing federal public service programs (such as AmeriCorps) to increase their scope and funding. (It did not, contrary to another false rumor, make public service "mandatory.") Far from being passed "behind our backs," H.R. 1388 was covered by the media during House and Senate debates, passed Congress with bipartisan support, and was signed into law with all the usual public hoopla.

It had nothing to do with refugees.

Presidential Determination No. 2009-15

In January 2009 President Obama signed a completely unrelated memorandum to the U.S. State Dept. (titled "Presidential Determination No. 2009-15" — not an executive order, strictly speaking, but comparable to one) authorizing $20.3 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees in Gaza.

As anyone can easily ascertain by simply reading the document (also available here), not to mention the State Dept. press release detailing how the funds will be spent, the memorandum did not order, request, or even propose the resettlement of Palestinian refugees in the United States. In point of fact, it used precisely the same language as humanitarian aid memos signed during the previous administration by President George W. Bush (example #1, example #2, example #3).

And finally, the itemized list

The so-called "itemized list" of other presidential actions taken in the early days of the Obama administration is roughly accurate, albeit cherry-picked, decontextualized, and spun in a manner consistent with the overall political bias of the message.

First of all we need to get all the details straight if we are going to nic pic one....

Obama did in fact allocate $20.3 Million for refugees in Gaza, and signed an executive order to do so.....Obama does in fact supply a free ticket.

They don't have to leave Gaza to receive US paid for Food stamps, housing and other allocations from the US TAX payers by the curtesy of OBAMA.

They can stay home and live off of us.... but if they choose along with other nations, and people, they can opt to come to America with the ERMA on the $100,000 MILLION US TAX PAYERS money by the State Departments Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. NOTICE THE WORD MIGRATION!!!

No, they didn't just get the number wrong....they got it ALL wrong. It's ALL a LIE.

Edited October 4, 2010 by ajskj

[stronglilly]

I am very disturbed... YES, there are fanatics, YES, people get things mixed up,

YES, information gets misunderstood.. BUT HERE ME OUT.... I don't want to start trouble... My intentions are to keep myself and others aware that there are things going on maybe we should check into and not just by going to snopes or any other source but go dig ourselves and find out what is going on that is upsetting people... to make sure that something isn't wrong.... I did that today and I am going to continue to do it because in my search for the truth I have found it is worse than what these emails are saying...

Some of what they are saying is true... there are things in this bill that we have not been made aware of... sure maybe some in congress or the government know but have ".WE THE PEOPLE" been informed properly and given the opportunity to voice what we want. I don't think so! I have not heard about several things I read today that ARE in this bill and maybe that is what these people were talking about..... either way WE NEED TO WAKE UP AND READ THIS BILL OURSELVES before saying it isn't important or it isn't going to have some serious consiquences on 'WE THE PEOPLE" I am concerned for my children and grandchildren and all other generations...

First this bill is calling our youth to be enrolled in Americorp... DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO THEY REALLY ARE? I saw a video of some youth who were being trained for Obamas' youth group and I didn't pay much attention thinking OH THEY ARE JUST OVERCONCERNED FANATICS who sent it to me.... Well guess what it is in this bill I just read and I am now concerned. I have not had the opportunity to read it all, I am sure it will take me awhile but instead of being so quick to say "OH HERE WE GO AGAIN" or snopes said... maybe we better stop taking other peoples word and check it out. Just like we just found out snopes is a couple who are not professionals or trained in investigation nor are they neutrall... I don;'t know of anyone who can honestly say they are neutral.

Please I am not coming here to stir trouble, I am honestly trying to provoke us to stay alert to what is happening in our USA.

The funding is going on for the refugees, it is throught another programs and it is to be concerned about especially when the money belongs to tax payers who are loosing their homes and cars, and have no jobs or medical.

the HB 1388 does have some very alarming items in it I don't believe was publizied... and I think that is what they were trying to say.

THE INFO BELOW IS FROM GOVERNMENT SITES NOT PRIVATE OR PUBLIC SOURCES.

U.S. Funding for Refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs)

Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA), Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA), and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) account background information

RCUSA urges the U.S. Government to provide adequate funding to continue to expand our nation’s ability to aid the millions of refugees overseas and to increase the number of refugees offered protection through resettlement in the United States. Below is a brief summary of what each account covers.

The Migration and Refugee Assistance account includes overseas assistance funding to support international protection for refugees and conflict victims; facilitates durable solutions, notably voluntary repatriation; and provides life-sustaining humanitarian assistance, where needed. The other major component of the MRA account is to fund the initial 30 days of refugee resettlement in the United States. This Reception & Placement work is carried out by the ten national voluntary agencies which contract with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration with the U.S. Department of State. Additionally, MRA funds will support activities to promote international understanding of migration with a special emphasis on protection.*

The Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance fund is funded at $100 million, to be drawn upon by the President to meet unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs whenever the President determines that it is important to the national interest to do so. This fund is also administered with the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration with the U.S. Department of State. RCUSA continues to advocate for the ceiling to be raised to $200 million, in reflection of the costs of today’s urgent refugee needs.*

The Office of Refugee Resettlement provides refugees, asylees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, Amerasians, victims of human trafficking, unaccompanied alien children, and survivors of torture with critical resources to assist them in becoming integrated members of American society. ORR services include English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA), Individual Development Accounts (IDA), Matching Grant, and many other programs. **

*For additional information, please visit the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration's website:http://www.state.gov/g/prm/

**For more information, please visit the Office of Refugee Resettlement's website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/

In FY2008, UNRWA received about $80 million from the United States, its largest single-country donor. The State Department has announced that the bulk of the new ERMA appropriation – $13.5 million – will go to UNRWA.

Read more: http://dinarvets.com/forums/index.php?app=forums&module=post&section=post&do=reply_post&f=7&t=34845#ixzz11R1wjeVZ

Federal Resources

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration/U.S. Department of State

Homepage: http://www.state.gov/g/prm

Reflecting the best humanitarian traditions of the American people, the U.S. Government funds protection and life-sustaining relief for millions of refugees and victims of conflict around the globe. The United States also admits tens of thousands of refugees annually for permanent resettlement. The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) is central to these efforts. Within the government, PRM has primary responsibility for formulating policies on population, refugees, and migration, and for administering U.S. refugee assistance and admissions programs.

PRM coordinates U.S. international population policy and promotes its goals through bilateral and multilateral cooperation. It works closely with the U.S. Agency for International Development, which administers U.S. international population programs. The Bureau also coordinates U.S. international migration policy within the U.S. Government and through bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

PRM administers and monitors U.S. contributions to international and non-governmental organizations to assist and protect refugees abroad. In overseeing admissions of refugees to the United States for permanent resettlement, the Bureau works closely with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Health and Human Services, and various state and private voluntary agencies.

Obama did indeed sign a memorandum (functionally identical to an executive order) allocating $20.3 million from the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for refugees and conflict victims in Gaza. ERMA allows the president to appropriate any amount up to $100 million to meet "unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs." The money drawn down from ERMA is put to use by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

[photochick]

Maybe reading the actual language of what was passed will help. There are some excellent questions for consideration at the bottom.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT: Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to Gaza

By the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 2©(1) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (the "Act"), as amended (22 U.S.C. 2601), I hereby determine, pursuant to section 2©(1) of the Act, that it is important to the national interest to furnish assistance under the Act in an amount not to exceed $20.3 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose of meeting unexpected and urgent refugee and migration needs, including by contributions to international, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations and payment of administrative expenses of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the Department of State, related to humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees and conflict victims in Gaza.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

UPDATE: Eastview asks a pointed question in the comments below: "Who chooses what specific organization get this $20.3 million, what restrictions are there on the goods and services it purchases, what mechanism exists to monitor its flow, and what are the reporting requirements? Or is O just going to cut HAMAS a check?"

[ajskj]

READ what your info said. the agency is URGING us to give money to refuges...not nothing about BILLS being passed secretly.

The email is an out right LIE.

LOOK through the earlier posts here, this was thoroughly debunked.

[photochick]

I posted in haste what I thought was a portion of House Res 1388. It wasn't. It's so difficult to tell the real deal anymore. Below is the bill in its entirety. NOTHING about Gaza or refugees.

Read for yourselves.

http://www.gop.gov/bill/111/1/hr1388