Government Will Soon Run Out Of Money To Care For Thousands Of Unaccompanied Minors

The government will run out of money within weeks to care for thousands of unaccompanied minors caught crossing the southern border unless Congress can make a deal, but negotiations are hung up on Homeland Security issues.

The Department of Health and Human Services has told Congress it is quickly running out of money to continue caring for undocumented minors who have no parents or guardians to look after them. HHS had 12,600 such minors in government facilities as of April.

Funding for these facilities will run out “sometime this month” unless Congress appropriates more money, said Sen. Roy Blunt, chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that deals with HHS.

A proposal from Senate Republicans would put $4.5 billion toward it — with $3.3 billion going to HHS to provide shelter, food, and medicine to minors, and the rest to Homeland Security. In the past, President Trump has insisted that funding to build a border wall be included in spending packages, which has sparked fierce resistance from Democrats.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/paulmcleod/government-funding-unaccompanied-minors