Speech #1040190255

Speaker. I rise in support of this rule. but with a major reservation. I had planned to offer an amendment which I feel is vital to stem the tide of illegal immigration pounding our Nation. but the Rules Committee did not make this amendment in order. My amendment would have simply applied the employer telephone verification system in title IV of H.R. 2202 to Government agencies and require administrators of federally funded Government assistance programs to use the verification system to check the eligibility of applicants for public benefits. As the bill stands now. only employers can use the telephone verification system to check on the eligibility of job applicants. Why shouldnt public agencies use the same verification system to check on the eligibility of applicants for federally funded benefits? If the bill is left the way it is. it threatens to create a perverse incentive that makes it safer for illegal aliens to apply for welfare than to apply for jobs. This is insane. With our welfare system nearly stretched to the breaking point. why in the world are we making it easier for illegal aliens to get welfare than jobs? We all know that a large number of illegal aliens use fake documents to get jobs. This is why we need a telephone verification system. But what everyone seems to be forgetting is that illegal aliens can use these same fake documents to get billions of dollars in public benefits. I am glad to see that the Senate version of this bill does include a verification system which is to be used to verify a persons eligibility for both welfare and employment. Hopefully. the House conferees will agree to the Senates provision. If we truly want to get serious about stemming the tide of illegal immigration. we must eliminate the magnets which draw them here. There are free enterprisers who claim not to care if illegal aliens come here to work. But there is a dynamic at play that needs consideration. Many illegal immigrants work at wages so low even the illegal immigrants wouldnt accept the jobif not for the health cars. education and other benefits provided by the taxpayers. Government benefits subsidize the exploitation on illegals. As it turns out American taxpayers and illegal aliens are being exploited by avaricious businessmen who are not offering a living wage. Correcting the error of providing benefits will help solve the job problem as well.