The non-profit organization Global Refuge is responding to tweets on X about federal spending on faith-based organizations by former general Michael Flynn and Elon Musk.
It started in January with a tweet by former general Michael Flynn calling out federal spending on Catholic charity organizations.
On February 1st, there was another tweet by Flynn saying, "Now it's the "Lutheran" faith; this use of "Religion" as a money laundering operation must end."
This tweet was a direct call-out of Lutheran groups across the country, including global refugees.
"I think it was really disturbing," says Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Global Refuge.
"Not just for Lutherans, for Catholics, for so many traditional faith traditions—helping the stranger is a fundamental tenet of those religions, and so, I think there was a lot of hurt."
Krish O'Mara Vignarajah is president and CEO of Global Refuge.
"We serve legally admitted immigrants who have waited their turn, they've gone through extreme vetting in order to come here to the United States," says Vignarajah.
"They've waited abroad; they have gone through the Department of Homeland Security, CIA, Interpol, background checks."
Flynn's tweet went viral online, showing the organization received over 367 million dollars from the federal government.
In his retweet, Elon Musk is saying, "The @doge team is rapidly shutting down these illegal payments."
"Nothing could be further from the truth. The idea that this work is illegal or improper is absolutely false," says Vignarajah.
Vignarajah goes on to say, "The tweets don't accurately represent the process organizations like hers go through to receive federal partnership."
"Auditors scrutinize our programs. We don't receive blank checks; we get reimbursed after we show the receipts. Government partners, they visit our offices, they go through our books, to ensure that we are trusted partners."
"The accusations of money laundering and illegal spending are completely false, adding
Global Refuge helps people navigate a process that can last years."
