Mr. President today Senator MELCHER and I are introducing legislation which would prohibit illegal aliens from receiving social security benefits. This is not the first time that this issue has been before the Senate. nor do we expect it to be the last. In February of this year. I introduced legislation. S. 595. which addressed the issue of legal and illegal aliens receiving social security benefits. When H.R. 1900. the Social Security Amendments of 1983 were adopted by the Senate. provisions affecting both classifications of aliens had been incorporated into the legislation. Through the work of a number of my colleagues. including Senators LUGAR. GRASSLEY. and BOREN. the amount of benefits which could be earned by legal aliens living abroad was restricted in the Finance Committee. When the reform package came to the full Senate for consideration. I along with 18 other Senators including Senator MELCHER. offered an amendment to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving social security benefits. A motion to table this amendment was defeated by 58 to 34 and the language was accepted by voice vote. During conference on the Social Security Amendments of 1983. a weakened version of the language reducing benefits for. legal aliens living abroad was enacted into law. However. the provision regarding illegal aliens was struck completely from the bill. Because of the support which my colleagues and the general public have shown for this issue. Senator MELCHER and I are reintroducing the provision barring illegal aliens from receiving social security benefits as a separate bill. We are proud to have 25 cosponsors on this measure. including Senators EXON. ZORINSKY.
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illegal aliens