Speech #1040010605

Reduced funding levels will lead to fewer people being served and also will not take into account the increased need for food assistant program during economic downturns. As hard as it may be to believe. this is not the only disconcerting aspect of H.R. q. This bill not only proposes to limit funds provided for nutrition. it also intends to cut off immigrants. legal immigrants from the very start of any program. No service or assistance to legal Immigrant children. even though their parents are here at the invitation of this country. even though these parents pay every single same tax that American citizens pay and even though these parents are obligated and do serve in our military in time of war. All responsibilities are there for the parents of these legal immigrant children. Yet the services paid for in part by the tax dollars of these legal Immigrant parents would not be there for these children. Though they receive less attention. the immigrant children. in this whole debate on welfare reform. the provisions of H.R. 4 which deal with immigrant eligibility for Federal benefits need to have clarity. H.R. 4 would completely withdraw the safety net from nearly all legal immigrants. immigrants. as I said before. who came to this country with every right to be here because they were told by this country that they could come in. Sixty programs would be eliminated from participation of immigrants and their children. Immigrants would be barred from all of the major Federal programs for job training. human Investment. as well as those that provide nonemergency health care. housing. nutrition. cash assistance for women. children. seniors. and persons with disabilities. This means. for example. a 6monthold baby who came here with his mother would be ineligible for basic vaccinations. A 7yearold legally present in the United States would be denied foster care and adoption assistance upon the death of her parents. A 23yearold woman legally present in the United States. forced from her home in flight from an abusive husband. would be denied job training. child care. and other services coordinated by a battered womens shelter. A 35yearold man granted political asylum here after fleeing torture in his native land for his religious beliefs would be ineligible to receive canned goods from the food bank run by his local church. A 60yearold woman who emigrated legally when she was 15 years old and who has worked in the United States all of her life would be rendered ineligible for Medicaid to treat her dangerous heart condition. These things would occur because this is where the new majority party thinks it could find socalled savings. In fact. the savings which result from denying benefits to legal immigrants represents less than 3 percent of the 5year budget of the affected programs. I strongly support a reappraisal of our welfare system and Government spending. However. in this case. it seems that a great number of people would be hurt for an almost insignificant financial gain.