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Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, announced May 21 that it has been forced to lay off 51 staff members in the wake of the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts for the U.S. refugee resettlement program.
Judy Orr, executive director of Nashville’s Catholic Charities, stated that the funding cuts will also force them to close the New Americans refugee program, with more layoffs expected in the next few weeks. Catholic Charities will continue to operate the Tennessee Office for Refugees, however.
“In recent months, federal actions have severely weakened the national resettlement infrastructure,” Orr stated. “When our national partner, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), ended its participation in the program, it became clear that we could no longer sustain this work locally, even if refugee admissions were to resume at previous levels.”
>> USCCB forced to rework how to serve refugees after government suspended agreements <<
Orr also cited the rising cost of living and local expenses as reasons for the restructuring of Catholic Charities. She also affirmed Catholic Charities’ commitment to running family resource centers.
“Though our work will look different moving forward, our commitment to the most vulnerable remains as strong and steady as ever,” she added.
According to The Tennesean, Catholic Charities has helped with refugee resettlement since 1962, in recent years assisting refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Syria and Myanmar.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas, also laid off nearly one-quarter of its employees, mainly from its refugee program, earlier this year due to federal funding cuts.
