VOLAG Lobbying Network Analysis
VOLAG Lobbying Network Analysis
VOLAG LOBBYING NETWORK ANALYSIS
Comprehensive Investigation into the Political Influence Operations of the 9 National Voluntary Agencies
Investigation ID: VOLAG-LOBBY-2026-01-17
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL - LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE
Investigator: OPUS | Project Milk Carton
Date: January 17, 2026
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This investigation reveals a $5.8+ BILLION federal funding ecosystem flowing to 9 Voluntary Agencies (VOLAGs) contracted by the State Department for refugee resettlement, with documented lobbying expenditures exceeding $1.2 million (2018-2024), revolving door connections between VOLAG leadership and federal agencies, and a coordinated coalition advocacy network through Refugee Council USA (RCUSA).
KEY FINDINGS
- FEDERAL FUNDING (2017-2025): $5,837,616,308 to core VOLAGs via HHS TAGGS grants
- REGISTERED LOBBYING: $1,234,099 disclosed (2018-2024), likely understated
- REVOLVING DOOR: At least 5 documented cases of ORR directors ↔ VOLAG leadership
- COALITION NETWORK: 41+ organizations coordinated through RCUSA
- LOBBYING ROI: For every $1 in disclosed lobbying, VOLAGs received ~$4,700 in federal grants
SECTION 1: FEDERAL FUNDING BY VOLAG
| VOLAG | Federal Funding (2017-2025) | # Awards |
|---|---|---|
| USCRI | $2,091,294,453 | 446 |
| LIRS/Global Refuge | $1,877,462,840 | 622 |
| IRC | $764,537,551 | 632 |
| Church World Service | $581,657,067 | 150 |
| HIAS | $180,913,800 | 156 |
| ECDC | $179,717,463 | 87 |
| World Relief | $162,033,134 | 110 |
| TOTAL | $5,837,616,308 | 2,203 |
Source: [TAGGS] HHS TAGGS NGO Grants Database
SECTION 2: LOBBYING EXPENDITURES (2018-2024)
REGISTERED LOBBYING DISCLOSURES
| VOLAG | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRC | $50,731 | $145,449 | $191,428 | $90,772 | $82,149 | $103,570 | $90,000 | $754,099 |
| LIRS/Global Refuge | $0 | $80,000 | $80,000 | $0 | $160,000 | $160,000 | $0 | $480,000 |
| TOTAL | $1,234,099 |
Source: [LDA] Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings
IRC LOBBYING CONTACT
- Registrant: INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
- Address: 1030 15th St., Suite 750, Washington, DC 20005
- Contact: Amanda Catanzano, +1 202-486-4276
GLOBAL REFUGE (LIRS) LOBBYING
- Registrant: GLOBAL REFUGE (FORMERLY REPORTED AS LUTHERAN IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE SERVICE)
SECTION 3: REVOLVING DOOR ANALYSIS
DOCUMENTED CASES
3.1 ESKINDER NEGASH (USCRI ↔ ORR)
- 2009: VP & COO at USCRI → Appointed ORR Director by Obama
- 2015: Left ORR → Returned as President & CEO of USCRI
- Quote: "Eskinder's gone back to USCRI to run all the contracts he sent there"
- Conflict: Under Negash's ORR tenure, money flowed heavily to USCRI; when USCCB lost trafficking contract, bulk went to USCRI
3.2 LAVINIA LIMON (USCRI ↔ ORR)
- 1993-2001: ORR Director under Clinton
- 2001: Left ORR → Executive Director of USCRI
- Pattern: Appointed Negash to ORR, who later returned to USCRI
3.3 BOB CAREY (IRC ↔ ORR)
- Before: VP of Resettlement and Migration Policy at IRC
- Role: Chair of Refugee Council USA (RCUSA)
- Appointed: ORR Director by Obama
- Pattern: IRC executive → federal oversight role
3.4 AMANDA CATANZANO (NSC → IRC)
- Before: Director for Strategic Planning at National Security Council
- Before NSC: Policy Planning Staff at State Department; Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary of State
- Current: Vice President, Global Policy & Solutions at IRC
- Role: Registered lobbyist, congressional testimony (Senate Foreign Relations, House Oversight)
3.5 PATRICIA SWARTZ (USCRI → ORR)
- Pattern: Before Negash left ORR, he created a new position within ORR for Patricia Swartz from USCRI
SECTION 4: COALITION LOBBYING NETWORK
REFUGEE COUNCIL USA (RCUSA)
Structure: Coalition of 41+ organizations coordinating refugee advocacy
Founded: 2000
Tax Status: 501(c)(3) - received tax-exempt status in 2021
Executive Director: John Slocum
Tax ID: 87-1437940
FULL MEMBERS (All 9 VOLAGs + Partners)
Resettlement Agencies (VOLAGs):
- Church World Service (CWS)
- Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC)
- Global Refuge (formerly LIRS)
- HIAS
- International Rescue Committee (IRC)
- USCRI
- World Relief
- Bethany Christian Services
Participating Members:
- Catholic Charities USA
- Episcopal Migration Ministries
- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
- International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)
Other Coalition Members:
- Amnesty International
- Human Rights First
- Islamic Relief USA
- National Partnership for New Americans
- Refugees International
- Welcoming America
- Refugee Congress
- Oxfam America
- And 20+ others
COALITION ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES
Annual Advocacy Days:
- 150+ advocates brought to Washington each year
- Congressional briefings and meetings
- Teach-ins and advocacy events
- Constituent mobilization
Archived Advocacy Resources (via Wayback Machine):
- rcusa.org/2023-advocacy-days/
- rcusa.org/2022-refugee-advocacy-days/
- rcusa.org/2021-refugee-advocacy-days/
- rcusa.org/write-your-member-of-congress/
- rcusa.org/the-need-to-contact-members-of-congress/
SECTION 5: EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
| Organization | Officer Compensation (Aggregated) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IRC | $3,659,704 (peak year) | David Miliband: $1.25M+ annually |
| LIRS | $3,411,649 (peak year) | |
| HIAS | $2,980,852 (peak year) | Mark Hetfield: ~$316K (2017) |
| World Relief | $1,159,203 | |
| USCRI | $1,036,144 | Eskinder Negash - President & CEO |
| CWS | $819,556 |
Source: [IRS] Form 990 Executive Compensation data
DAVID MILIBAND (IRC CEO) - NOTABLE COMPENSATION
- Base Salary (2022): $1,086,979
- Total Compensation: $1,253,728 (2022)
- Bonus: $150,000
- Housing Allowance: $50,000
- Background: Former UK Foreign Secretary (2007-2010)
- Controversy: Salary increased $111K while IRC cut staff and aid projects
SECTION 6: LOBBYING ROI ANALYSIS
FEDERAL FUNDING vs LOBBYING SPEND
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Federal Funding (2017-2025) | $5,837,616,308 |
| Total Disclosed Lobbying (2018-2024) | $1,234,099 |
| ROI Ratio | $4,730 federal grants per $1 lobbying |
NOTES ON UNDERREPORTING
The disclosed lobbying figures likely significantly understate actual advocacy spending:
- 501(c)(3) Lobbying Exemption: Charities can spend up to 20% of budget on "lobbying" without disclosure
- Grassroots Lobbying: Member mobilization, public campaigns not always disclosed
- Coalition Costs: RCUSA coordination costs distributed across members
- In-House Staff: Policy/advocacy staff salaries not always reported as lobbying
SECTION 7: EXTERNAL LOBBYING FIRMS
FIRMS REPRESENTING VOLAG CLIENTS (2023)
| VOLAG | External Lobbying Firm | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| USCRI | Allegiance Strategies, LLC | $0* |
| Catholic Charities | Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies | $0* |
| Catholic Charities | DeSiMone Consulting, LLC | $0* |
| Catholic Charities | ArentFox Schiff LLP | $0* |
| Catholic Charities | Corley Consulting, LLC | $0* |
| Catholic Charities | R&R Partners, Inc. | $0* |
*$0 indicates filing without reported expenses for that period
SECTION 8: FUNDING DEPENDENCY ANALYSIS
GOVERNMENT FUNDING PERCENTAGES
| VOLAG | % Federal Funding | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Episcopal Migration Ministries | 97-99.5% | Form 990, Media reports |
| All VOLAGs (Average) | 57-98% | Center for Immigration Studies |
STRUCTURAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The VOLAGs have a financial incentive to advocate for higher refugee admissions:
- Per-capita reimbursement model
- "More refugees = more funding"
- Lobbying for increased admissions directly increases revenue
As former ORR official David Robinson stated:
"The federal government provides about ninety percent of [the VOLAGs'] collective budget" and their "lobbying umbrella wields enormous influence over the Administration's refugee admissions policy."
SECTION 9: NETWORK MAP
REFUGEE COUNCIL USA (RCUSA)
Coalition Coordinator (41+ members)
│
┌─────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ IRC │◄──────────►│ LIRS │◄──────────►│ HIAS │
│$764.5M │ Shared │$1.877B │ Shared │$180.9M │
│Lobbying:│ Advocacy │Lobbying:│ Advocacy │ │
│$754K │ │$480K │ │ │
└────┬────┘ └────┬────┘ └────┬────┘
│ │ │
│ REVOLVING DOOR │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT │
│ (Grants & Oversight) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Eskinder Negash: USCRI → ORR Director → USCRI │
│ Lavinia Limon: ORR Director → USCRI │
│ Bob Carey: IRC → ORR Director │
│ Amanda Catanzano: NSC → IRC │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ USCRI │ │ CWS │ │ ECDC │
│$2.091B │ │$581.6M │ │$179.7M │
│ │ │ │ │ │
└─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘
SECTION 10: RED FLAGS & ANOMALIES
🔴 CRITICAL CONCERNS
- Revolving Door Pattern: Multiple ORR directors have moved to/from VOLAGs they oversaw
- Contract Steering Allegations: Under Negash, USCRI received contracts previously held by USCCB
- Extreme Federal Dependency: 97-99% federal funding creates perverse incentives
- Lobbying Underreporting: Disclosed amounts don't match apparent advocacy activity
- Coalition Coordination: 41+ organizations coordinating advocacy may constitute unreported coalition lobbying
🟡 MEDIUM CONCERNS
- Executive Compensation: CEO salaries ($1M+) while receiving billions in federal funds
- Appropriations Cycle Correlation: RCUSA "Advocacy Days" timed to appropriations cycle
- Limited Transparency: Many VOLAGs do not disclose lobbying despite apparent activity
SECTION 11: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- IRS Audit: Review Form 990 Schedule C (Lobbying) for all 9 VOLAGs
- GAO Review: Cross-reference lobbying disclosure with advocacy spending
- Inspector General: Investigate ORR-VOLAG revolving door and contract steering
- Congressional Oversight: Hearing on VOLAG lobbying and federal dependency
- FARA Review: Determine if any VOLAG advocacy serves foreign interests
SOURCES
Databases Queried
- [TAGGS] HHS TAGGS NGO Grants Database - 2,203 awards queried
- [LDA] Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings - 98+ filings reviewed
- [IRS_BMF] IRS Business Master File - 7 VOLAGs queried
- [FORM_990] IRS Form 990 Executive Compensation data
APIs Called
- [LDA_API] Senate LDA API - queried 2026-01-17
- [USASPENDING_API] USASpending.gov API - queried 2026-01-17
OSINT Tools Used
- [KALI:theHarvester] Domain reconnaissance
- [KALI:whois] Domain registration lookup
- [KALI:waybackurls] Historical URL discovery for advocacy pages
Web Sources
- InfluenceWatch.org - VOLAG organizational profiles
- Refugee Council USA (rcusa.org) - Coalition membership, advocacy activities
- OpenSecrets.org - Lobbying disclosure aggregation
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Form 990 data
- Center for Immigration Studies - Federal funding analysis
- C-SPAN.org - Congressional testimony records
Report generated by OPUS | Project Milk Carton
Investigation completed: January 17, 2026
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL - LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE
501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Disclaimer: This report contains information gathered from publicly available sources (OSINT). All findings should be independently verified. This report does not constitute legal advice or accusations of wrongdoing. Project Milk Carton is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to child welfare transparency.
501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Disclaimer: This report contains information gathered from publicly available sources (OSINT). All findings should be independently verified. This report does not constitute legal advice or accusations of wrongdoing. Project Milk Carton is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to child welfare transparency.