By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Congressman Mo Brooks (R) from Huntsville said in comments addressed to the U.S. House that the immigration reform bill which has recently passed the Senate must be defeated at all costs. Representative Brooks emphasized what he believes will be the high cost of amnesty to the American taxpayer in his remarks.
Rep. Brooks said, “The Senate’s Gang of 8 amnesty bill will dramatically expand the U.S. welfare rolls, making illegal aliens a bigger financial burden on America, racking up higher deficits, and increasing America’s risk of insolvency and bankruptcy.”
Congressman Brooks’ said, “The Senate Gang of 8 Amnesty bill immediately gives illegal aliens state and local welfare. That is in addition to the federal welfare illegal aliens already lawfully and unlawfully get. Watchdog group Judicial Watch reports that an assistant case manager in charge of food-stamp applications stated, ‘Illegals would come in by the van load and we were told to give them their stuff. Management knew very well they were illegal. It was so rampant that some employees would tell their illegal relatives to come get food stamps. Judicial Watch added, ‘The promotion of the food stamp program, now known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), includes a Spanish-language flyer provided to the Mexican Embassy by the [United States Department of Agriculture] with a statement advising Mexicans in the U.S. that they do not need to declare their immigration status in order to receive financial assistance.”
Brooks warned that, “America suffers from four consecutive trillion dollar deficits and a $17 trillion debt that risk a debilitating American insolvency and bankruptcy.”
Rep. Brooks referenced a controversial Heritage Society report that claimed that the average illegal immigrant household already receives $24,771 in government benefits while paying only $10,334 in taxes and that this bill would only increase the benefits that illegal aliens can receive at taxpayer expense.
Many pro-immigration reform groups dispute the Heritage Foundation report and instead point to a Congressional Budget Office study that claims immigration reform would actually reduce the deficit over time versus not passing the legislation.
Rep. Brooks concluded, “The Senate Gang of 8 amnesty bill does not properly manage welfare, does not give border security, mismanages tax dollars, thereby hammering already-stressed and overtaxed American families and taxpayers, and aggravates America’s already bad financial condition, thus increasing America’s risk of a debilitating insolvency and bankruptcy. Mr. Speaker, the Senate Gang of 8 bill must be defeated at all cost. America’s future depends on it.”
President Obama has made comprehensive immigration reform along with gun control his biggest legislative priorities of the year. Some Republicans support the ‘Gang of Eight’ plan because they feel that the issue is hurting the party with Hispanic voters. Others warn that adding millions of Hispanic voters to the electorate will cement the gains that the Democratic Party has enjoyed over the last decades and will doom the Republican Party in future elections as America becomes increasingly diverse and less likely to vote Republican. Advocates for increasing immigration argue that America needs millions more immigrants due to the declining birth rates and the graying of America. Opponents argue that the country already has a glut of low skilled workers and that increasing immigration will only increase unemployment and poverty for low skilled American workers.
Congressman Mo Brooks represents Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District.
