No Resettlement Without Representation Act

No Resettlement Without Representation Act would overhaul how the United States admits and resettles refugees. The bill would replace the current practice—where the President proposes refugee admission numbers and Congress typically approves via annual appropriations or determinations—with a system in which Congress must pass joint resolutions to authorize the number of refugees who may be admitted in each fiscal year. The President would still make recommendations, but those would function as inputs to Congress rather than final authority. In addition, the bill would give states a veto power over refugee resettlement: a state chief executive could block the placement of refugees in that state, with a requirement that state officials be informed 30 days before a refugee is set to be resettled there. Overall, the bill inserts more direct congressional control and state-level blocking authority into refugee admissions and resettlement. The practical effects could include slower or more variable refugee admissions, greater intergovernmental negotiation, and potential geographic shifts in where refugees are placed. It would likely affect refugee resettlement agencies, state governments, and local communities, in addition to those seeking refuge themselves.