State leaders commit to new funding strategies to sustain refugee, immigrant integration amid federal cuts

New York, NY, August 28, 2026 - As federal funding for refugee resettlement and integration declines nationwide, state and local officials convened today at the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) annual States Lay the Foundation summit to share funding models, program strategies and partnerships already underway in their states and localities. Officials said recent state and locally led initiatives point to a broader shift where states are the primary line of service for refugee resettlement and integration, from health care access to workforce development. They warned that further inaction could leave refugee and immigrant communities without access to food, housing, health care and workforce support.

Successful models included Washington state's commitment of $44 million to state-funded food assistance for residents who lost federal eligibility under H.R. 1, and Maryland's State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Refugees and Asylees (H.B. 1458), which creates a state-funded food assistance program for refugees, asylees, and certain humanitarian populations who lost or were at risk of losing federal SNAP eligibility.

"Refugee resettlement in this country is at an inflection point," said Nejra Sumic, Director of State Advocacy at the IRC. "As federal systems shift, it's states, cities, and local communities stepping up, often with fewer resources, but with more urgency and more creativity than ever before."

Speakers included Maryland House Delegate Emily Shetty, Arizona State Senator Flavio Bravo, Iowa State Representative Jon Dunwell, and Louisville Metro Area Council Member Ben Reno Weber, alongside Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, Senior National Fellow at the National Skills Coalition. IRC speakers included Kristy Gladfelter, Vice President and Head of Learning & Impact; Nejra Sumic, Director of State Advocacy; Austyn Smith, Senior Advocacy Advisor; and Dr. Omar Aziz, Deputy Director of Programs for the IRC in Atlanta.

"Everything we heard today was stabilization and resilience in practice, not slogans, but real funding mechanisms, program models and food security work already happening in states," Kristy Gladfelter, Vice President and Head of Learning & Impact, said. "The solutions aren't hypothetical. They exist. The moment we're in isn't abstract. It's about refugee families who fled persecution and displacement now becoming neighbors, coworkers and contributors in the very communities represented in this room. The policies and partnerships we build today determine whether that welcome holds."

Through its work in 30 U.S. cities, the IRC partners directly with states and localities to strengthen integration systems for refugees and immigrants, including workforce development, health access and community-based support. The IRC will continue working with the state and local leaders who joined today's summit to advance the funding models and partnerships discussed.

As federal support for refugee and immigrant integration continues to shrink, the IRC is calling on state and local governments nationwide to work together to adopt diversified funding models, cross-sector partnerships, and durable policy solutions. These systems don't just protect refugees and immigrants, they strengthen communities, workforces, and economies.