US Catholic bishops sue Trump administration for halt in funding for refugee settlement

Catholic bishops are suing the Trump administration over its abrupt halt to funding of refugee resettlement, calling the action unlawful and harmful to newly arrived refugees and to the nation’s largest private resettlement program. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says the administration is withholding millions of dollars even for reimbursements of costs incurred before the sudden cut-off of funding. The suit says this violates various laws as well as the constitutional provision giving the power of the purse to Congress, which already approved the funding The conference’s Migration and Refugee Services has sent layoff notices to 50 workers, more than half its staff, with additional cuts. expected in local Catholic Charities offices.