John Oliver blasts Joe Biden for delaying raising cap on refugee admissions: ‘Pick up a f***ing pen and do the right thing’

John Oliver had some strong words for President Joe Biden over unkept promises surrounding the United States Refugee Admissions Program on Last Week Tonight.

The Refugee Admissions Program, as a reminder, is designed to help people from other countries who are fleeing persecution and have applied for resettlement in the US.

“The US used to be a world leader in how many refugees we accepted, but this f***ing guy," Oliver said on Sunday (11 April), pointing to a photo of former President Donald Trump, “not only slashed the admissions low down to a historic annual low of 15,000, he also added discriminatory eligibility categories that have blocked many Muslim and African refugees from coming to the US.”

The host then reminded viewers how Biden ran on a platform of “reversing Trump's policies”, which included raising the limit on the number of admissions to 62,500 and raising the cap again the following year.

Biden, however, has not signed the Presidential Determination that would reverse the rules put into place by Trump, Oliver noted. “It has been hard to get a straight answer from this administration on why.”

Tossing to a clip of Jen Psaki, Oliver called out Biden's press secretary for being evasive in her answers when journalists asked about the status of Biden's signing the Presidential Determination.

“Props to Jen Psaki there, only a few months into the job and she's already waving away concerns about stranded refugees with the ease of a Spirit Airlines gate agent letting you know your flight's delayed: ‘Rest assured, we're committed to getting you to Orlando eventually. We just can't tell you where your plane is, why it's taking so long and what year you might arrive,’” he said.

“Remember, these are vulnerable people who may have surrendered their belongings or homes in anticipation of leaving the country or who are having to wait in camps,” he continued.

“For Biden, this is actually really simple … he just needs to sign a piece of paper,” Oliver said. “And for a guy who clearly wanted to be the person who 'restored the soul of America’ – a phrase he's uttered many times – it is past time for him to look deep into his own, pick up a f***ing pen and do the right thing.”

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