Letter to the Editor – The House Should Discard the Senate’s Flawed Amnesty Bill

On June 27th, the Senate approved a very flawed, massive amnesty bill.  It is commonly referred to as “comprehensive immigration reform,” but the only thing comprehensive about the bill is its failure to address border security.  The House of Representatives will now take up immigration reform, and it is up to us, the electorate, to let our representatives know how much we disapprove of the Senate amnesty bill.  The Senate’s attempt, spearheaded by Senators Chuck Schumer and Marco Rubio, is so flawed, in fact, that it simply cannot be fixed.   Some of the bill’s most serious flaws include:

  1. Its cost: The bill will cost American taxpayers trillions of dollars and will lower American workers’ wages over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office;
  2. Its impact on entitlements: The bill fails to close the loopholes that allow legal immigrants (and their dependents) as well as illegal immigrants to access the myriad tax credits, welfare programs and other public assistance programs (despite requirements under the Welfare Reform Act of 1996);
  3. Its total lack of border security: The Senate bill fails to secure the border and actually exacerbates existing weaknesses in our national security.  The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are opposed to the bill for that reason.
  4. Its impact on state and local budgets: The bill will impose significant burdens on state and local governments that will bear the burden of delivering certain legally required benefits, including in our local schools.

Obamacare should have taught us the dangers of passing sweeping “comprehensive” legislation. Congress should not pass legislation that is written by special interests and opposed by the American public. In addition, Congress should not pass legislation that is too large and complex for anyone to read and comprehend.  Finally, Congress should take its legislative responsibilities and Constitutional duties seriously and not hand over significant policy-making decision and discretion to unelected bureaucrats without any real oversight or accountability.

It’s time for us to let (insert name of your U.S. House Representative) that the Senate bill should be completely discarded.

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