The Trump administration is expected to announce it will lower refugee admissions to 45,000 next year, the lowest point since the annual cap was created in 1980, according to a report Tuesday afternoon.
Senior administration officials must first confirm the proposed number with members of Congress by Wednesday, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The new 45,000 figure is a 10 percent drop from the 50,000 refugees the State Department had indicated it would admit next fiscal year. The Department of Homeland Security had called for only 40,000 refugees.
The administration also wants to increase its focus on strengthening the vetting for applicants in an effort to stop terrorists from entering the country.
Former President Barack Obama had called for up to 110,000 refugees to be allowed into the country in 2017.
Up until 2017, no fewer than 67,000 refugees had been admitted each year.
