Obama Pushes Amnesty To Give Illegal Aliens Taxpayer Health Care Benefits!
Posted on Friday, September 18 @ 13:07:09 EDT
Topic: Barack Obama Campaign for President
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 ALIPAC NOTE: Does anyone in the country need any more proof that Obama lied to the nation and Congressman Joe Wilson called it correctly regardless of whether he should have spoken out how and when he did? Also, the recent scientific and certified poll conducted by Pulse Opinion Research shows 78% of Americans oppose a 'path to citizenship' for illegal immigrants including 88% of African Americans!
http://www.alipac.us/article-4517-thread-1-0.html
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President Obama said this week that his health
care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the
more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get
coverage.
He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally
should be covered - a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill,
which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens
and longtime immigrants.
"Even though I do not believe we can extend coverage to those who
are here illegally, I also don't simply believe we can simply ignore
the fact that our immigration system is broken," Mr. Obama said
Wednesday evening in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Institute. "That's why I strongly support making sure folks who are
here legally have access to affordable, quality health insurance under
this plan, just like everybody else.
Mr. Obama added, "If anything, this debate underscores the
necessity of passing comprehensive immigration reform and resolving the
issue of 12 million undocumented people living and working in this
country once and for all."
Republicans said that amounts to an amnesty,
calling it a backdoor effort to make sure current illegal immigrants
get health care.
"It is ironic that the president told the
American people that illegal immigrants should not be covered by the
health care bill, but now just days later he's talking about letting
them in the back door," said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the top
Republican on the Judiciary Committee.
"If the American people do not want to provide government health
care for illegal immigrants, why would they support giving them
citizenship, the highest honor America can bestow?" Mr. Smith said.
But immigrant rights groups see the speech as a signal that Mr.
Obama is committed to providing health care coverage for anyone in the
United States legally, regardless of their citizenship status.
"It's the first time I've certainly heard, publicly, him talking
more about legal immigrants," said Eric Rodriguez, vice president for
research and advocacy at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). "I
think that was certainly positive progress. We were absolutely
concerned about not hearing that."
On Wednesday, hours before Mr. Obama's speech, the NCLR had given
the administration a public scolding, demanding that Mr. Obama needed
to make "a public commitment ... to ensure that those who are here
legally are covered."
A White House spokesman did not respond to questions about where
the White House would make the cutoff for eligibility, and Mr.
Rodriguez said he's still waiting for an answer from the
administration.
"We don't know where they mean to draw the line," he said. "Our
biggest concern is that most people don't realize legal immigrants are
currently barred from receiving health care benefits for the first five
years in the country."
Under the 1996 welfare overhaul, most federal aid programs are
restricted to citizens and legal immigrants who have been in the
country for at least five years. Democrats have tried this year to chip
away at that rule.
Immigration has dogged Mr. Obama in the health care debate. Rep.
Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, shouted, "You lie," when the
president, in an address to Congress last week, said his plans wouldn't
cover illegal immigrants.
Lawmakers - who got an earful from constituents back home during
August - have insisted on extra checks to make sure illegal immigrants
do not have access to taxpayer-funded programs.
Senators have worked on language that would prevent illegal
immigrants from buying insurance through a proposed insurance exchange
envisioned in the health care reform package.
But the NCLR said that could lead to situations where some members
of a family would be covered and others, including children of illegal
immigrants, wouldn't be.
Mr. Obama said legalizing illegal immigrants is a way to take the sting out of the entire issue.
But Republicans said by pushing to legalize illegal immigrants, Mr.
Obama is signaling that those here illegally eventually will get access
to taxpayer-funded benefits.
Still, the push to pass a legalization bill is beginning to gain
steam, even as advocates fret that the White House is moving too
slowly.
On Thursday, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat and an
outspoken advocate for legalization, agreed to take leadership in
writing a new, more generous bill.
"We simply cannot wait any longer for a bill that keeps our
families together, protects our workers and allows a pathway to
legalization for those who have earned it," Mr. Gutierrez said. "Saying
immigration is a priority for this administration or this Congress is
not the same as seeing tangible action, and the longer we wait, the
more every single piece of legislation we debate will be obstructed by
our failure to pass comprehensive reform."
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