Washington (CNN) As the number of people displaced by war and famine surges, the Trump administration is capping refugee admissions at the lowest level since 1980, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday. It's the second year in a row the administration has set the cap at a record low.

The US will cap refugee admissions at 30,000 in 2019, a 33% drop from 2018's record-low ceiling of 45,000.

Pompeo said the number should not be considered as "the sole barometer" of the United States' commitment to humanitarian efforts around the world, adding that the US would "focus on the humanitarian protection cases of those already in the country."

As evidence, Pompeo cited the number of asylum applications expected next year, saying the US will process up to 280,000 such applications in 2019.

"The ultimate goal is the best possible care and safety of these people in need, and our approach is designed to achieve this noble objective," Pompeo said. "We are and continue to be the most generous nation in the world."

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