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Thursday, November 05, 2009

Latest House Health Care Bill Still Contains Illegal Alien Loophole


Written by FAIRUS.org
Thursday, 05 November 2009 18:02


Help FAIR Ensure That Illegal Aliens Won't Be Able to Access Taxpayer-Funded Benefits!


After months of debate, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is finally ready to bring the health care reform bill to the House floor. As FAIR has reported, this bill contains a suspect verification mechanism that will almost certainly allow illegal aliens to game the system and access taxpayer-subsidized health care benefits created under the bill.

Fortunately, this problem can still be fixed. On Friday, November 6 at 2:00 P.M., the House Rules Committee will meet to decide what amendments will be considered when the health care bill is brought to the House floor for debate.

FAIR has learned that true immigration reformers in the House are working to strengthen the verification system in the bill and close the illegal alien loopholes that exist. Reps. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Dean Heller (R-NV), and Nathan Deal (R-GA) are planning to file an amendment with the Rules Committee that would help ensure that illegal aliens will not be able to access taxpayer-funded subsidies created by the bill.

But this isn't the only problem with the House health care bill. In addition to the weak verification provisions, this legislation:

Waives the five-year waiting period for accessing federal means-tested benefits for legal immigrants with respect to the taxpayer-funded affordability credits created by the bill. This means that legal immigrants can, rather than waiting five-years to apply for public benefits as they are required to do for other federal benefits, begin collecting subsidies under the bill immediately upon their arrival in the United States. This would violate the long-standing policy in the United States that immigrants should not become "public charges" and, as a result, burdens to American taxpayers. FAIR has determined that an identical provision in a previous version of the House health care bill would cost American taxpayers at least $33.8 billion.

Allows illegal aliens to access the "Exchange" created under the bill. At this exchange, individuals can either enroll in the so-called "public option," or choose to purchase a private health insurance plan. This means that the House health care bill would only encourage more illegal immigration and would allow illegal aliens to access a public health insurance plan backed by the federal government and American taxpayers.

Once again, however, there are true immigration reformers working to fix these provisions in the bill. In addition to the provisions that would strengthen verification, the Wilson-Heller-Deal amendment will also reinstate the five-year waiting period for legal immigrants with respect to the affordability credit. Furthermore, FAIR has learned from Capitol Hill sources that another amendment will likely be offered to prohibit illegal aliens from accessing the "Exchange."

But filing these amendments with the Rules Committee is only the first step. These true immigration reformers need our help to ensure that the Rules Committee approves these two critical amendments so that they will each get a vote on the floor of the House - a vote that they certainly deserve! Here's what you can do:

Call House leadership and the Members of the Rules Committee and tell them:

You support the Wilson-Heller-Deal amendment, which would: (1) prevent illegal aliens from accessing taxpayer-funded subsidies under the bill by strengthening the verification system; and (2) reinstate the five-year waiting period for legal immigrants with respect to the affordability credit.

You support any amendment that would prohibit illegal aliens from accessing the "Exchange" created under the bill.

You expect the Rules Committee to ensure that these important amendments get the vote that they deserve on the House floor, and you won't accept any underhanded efforts to block these amendments in the Rules Committee.

House Leadership

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): 202-225-4965
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD): 202-225-4131
Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC): 202-225-3315
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH): 202-225-6205
Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA): 202-225-2815

Members of the Rules Committee

Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY): 202-225-3615
James McGovern (D-MA): 202-225-6101
Alcee Hastings (D-FL): 202-225-1313
Doris Matsui (D-CA): 202-225-7163
Dennis Cardoza (D-CA): 202-225-6131
Michael Arcuri (D-NY): 202-225-3665
Ed Perlmutter (D-CO): 202-225-2645
Chellie Pingree (D-ME): 202-225-6116
Jared Polis (D-CO): 202-225-2161
Ranking Member David Dreier (R-CA): 202-225-2305
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL): 202-225-4211
Pete Sessions (R-TX): 202-225-2231
Virginia Foxx (R-NC): 202-225-2071


To contact your Representatives, click here.



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