Speech #1030109360

I introduced this legislation In February and the bill was referred to the Finance Committee. This legislation has been before the Congress in years past and most Members should be familiar with it. In 1986. the Congress made good progress in the effort to control Illegal immigration into the United States. By making it unlawful to hire illegal aliens. the Congress removed a powerful magnet for illegal immigration. Unfortunately. another magnet remains. That attraction to illegal immigration is the real or perceived availability of Government benefits to illegal aliens. Over the years the Congress has crafted qualifications for Federal benefit statutes separately. with little consideration for uniform policy throughout the programs. In addition. individual courts have issued isolated opinions on program eligibility. creating a patchwork quilt of a policy. As a result. due to congressional inaccuracy or expansive court interpretations. these statutes have been used to provide Federal financial benefits to illegal aliens. I think this is wrong. This situation has led to the payment of unemployment benefits. Social Security benefits. health care benefits. and housing benefits to individuals who have no legal right to even be in the United States. If enacted. this amendment will end the uncertainty once and for all. Studies focusing on this problem point toward an alarming and potentially dangerous drain on the Nations financial resources if the payments to illegal aliens are allowed to continue as they have in the past. This financial problem goes beyond the Federal level to the State. county. and local governments as well. In an eraof massive Federal deficits. even small instances of waste. fraud. and abuse cannot be tolerated. The Federal Government must ensure that limited Federal funds go to their intended beneficiaries. The Congress made good progress in requiring verification of status for certain entitlement programs and in authorizing the systematic alien verification for enLitlement programs. better known as the SAVE Program. However. these steps contained in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 can only be as effective as the interpretations of the various underlying benefit statutes. In addition. the SAVE Program has recently been nearly eliminated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service because of staff cuts. This amendment will make it clear that unless expressly authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act. direct Federal financial benefits will not be paid to illegal aliens. Opponents of this legislation may ask for sympathy for the illegal aliens who have come to depend on the generosity of Uncle Sam. They may cite some compelling stories about illegal aliens in unfortunate situations. I am most sympathetic. However. there are stories as dire and as compelling among our own citizens. When our Nation is facing $250 billion deficits and the crushing burden of the Federal debt. Federal dollars paid to an illegal alien. sympathetic or otherwise. are literally dollars taken away from our own citizens under the law. This legislation also gives the Congress an opportunity to set the record straight and destroy the International folklore of Uncle Sams deep pockets. This measure is both a means to control illegal immigration and a means to control budget deficits. Without the real or perceived attraction to Federal benefits. illegal immigration will be deterred. Without the seepage of benefits away from Intended beneficiaries. money will be saved. The Congressional Budget Office has released a preliminary estimate that the amendment would save S2.2 billion over 5 years.