Mr. Speaker. one of the most important sections in the Personal Responsibility Act stops giving welfare benefits to illegal aliens and encourages legal immigrants to become selfreliant. Our Nation simply cannot continue to allow noncitizens to take limited welfare resources while ignoring our own citizens. Many immigrants come to America for economic opportunity. Others. though. come to exploit our Government assistance programs. For example. the number of immigrants applying for supplemental security income has increased 580 percent over the last 12 years. Those who agree to financially sponsor immigrants repeatedly fail to honor their obligations. The provisions in the Personal Responsibility Act that apply to noncitizens are estimated to save American taxpayers $16 billion. but welfare reform is as much a behavioral issue as a budgetary one. The real debate in welfare reform Is not over 16 billion. it is over the fact that welfare destroys work incentives. encourages the breakdown of the family and results in years of dependency. Mr.
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Immigrants exploit government assistance programs.