Mr. Chairman. I rise today to oppose amendments which restrict the rights of legal immigrants to collect Government benefits. such as Medicaid. food stamps. and disability aid. Denying basic safety net services to noncitizens who. in many cases. have resided in the United States for much of their lives. discriminates among residents who have paid their taxes. contributed to the growth of the U.S. economy. served in the Armed Forces. and. like millions of their nativeborn counterparts. have played by the rules in the hope of realizing their own American dream. This legislation would erode basic American values by denying equal treatment under law to lawabiding taxpayers who have done nothing but choose to make the United States their home. This bill punishes legal immigrants for making that decision. This legislation also robs communities all over the country of the taxes paid by legal immigrant residentstaxes that would be taken by the Federal Government. but not returned to those same communities in the form of health care and other needed benefits. Recent studies show that immigrants pay $25 to $30 billion more in taxes each year than they use in services. Such funds will no longer flow back to our local communities under this bill. This bill would also deny basic survival assistance to children who are legal permanent residents.
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immigrant noncitizens immigrants