Thread: Cornyn: We Must Relieve Cities of Costly Federally Unfunded

Cornyn: We Must Relieve Cities of Costly Federally Unfunded Mandates Relating to Illegal Immigrants

Tells Texas Municipal League that Comprehensive Immigration Reform is Needed

Published: 03-14-07

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Immigration and Border Security subcommittee, told members of the Texas Municipal League on Tuesday that he will fight to relieve cities of the unfunded mandates of providing health care, education and other benefits for illegal immigrants. Sen. Cornyn made the comments to more than 80 city leaders, including mayors, city managers and city council members from across Texas.

“Texas cities increasingly bear the costs of the federally unfunded mandate to provide health care, education and other benefits to illegal immigrants,” Sen. Cornyn said. “We must work in Congress to provide some relief. As we resume consideration of immigration reform this year, I will work for a bill that enforces our laws and helps reimburse local governments so local taxpayers are not forced to pay the costs.”

Sen. Cornyn proposed an amendment last year during the immigration reform debate to impose a $750 surcharge on any illegal immigrant who applies for legal status to help defer the costs of the current unfunded mandates. Texans spend more than $4 billion annually on education for the children of illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born siblings. And Texas health care expenditures for illegal immigrants are more than $520 million a year. Hospitals and other emergency providers are currently mandated by federal law to provide health care for undocumented immigrants.

“Immigration reform remains a top priority for me. I’m committed to ensuring we bolster border security, enhance interior enforcement and implement broader immigration reform that does not hurt the economy. We must do this while upholding respect for the rule of law without providing amnesty.”

Another unfunded mandate is the cost of detaining illegal immigrants arrested in connection with crimes other than immigration violations. “When the federal government fails to live up to its responsibilities on the border, states and counties shouldn’t—and in many cases can’t—pick up the tab. They didn’t create this problem and local communities in Texas shouldn’t be forced to pay for it.” Sen. Cornyn said he will work to restore funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which reimburses states and counties for these costs.

Cornyn also discussed improving transportation, including working to receive a greater return on the tax dollars Texas sends to Washington. He also addressed entitlement spending reform: “We must tackle entitlement spending. If we do nothing, this runaway spending will leave our children and grandchildren with an immeasurable amount of debt.”

Note: For a high-resolution, color photo of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks to the Texas Municipal League, contact John Drogin at john_drogin@cornyn.senate.gov or 202-224-0703.

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee.

Sen. Cornyn said. “We must work in Congress to provide some relief. As we resume consideration of immigration reform this year, I will work for a bill that enforces our laws and helps reimburse local governments so local taxpayers are not forced to pay the costs.”

No! No! No!

Rob Peter to pay Paul.

The only thing I expect the federal government to pay for is enforcement, enforcement and more enforcement.

No benefits for illegal aliens, even if the federal governement is willing to pay for it. That's the magnet, that's the problem and saying no more freebies is the solution.

Dixie

How long have I been saying to WATCH THAT SOB CORNYN?

I'm just going to MOD EDIT myself right now and put duct tape on my mouth and fingers before I get sidelined

Except that I'll part from this thread with a to Cornyn! It's about all you're worth, senator!!!
Sewage

We must work in Congress to provide some relief. As we resume consideration of immigration reform this year, I will work for a bill that enforces our laws and helps reimburse local governments so local taxpayers are not forced to pay the costs.”

Yeah, just spread the complaining of sanctuary cities onto the rest of us. Does he think we're idiots??? Run up the deficit for our children to support illegals??? I'm going to give a little call to Cornyn's office--when I calm down...

Heeelllooo Cornyn!!! is anybody home!!!!!
Just where the hell does he think the federal money he spends comes from, this is a joke right !! he is going to relieve the taxpayer and get more money from the federal government. (shaking my head here!!)Just what ferderal goverment is he talking about, does he have one we don't know about!!!

Someone help me out here, I must be slow because I am not getting it!!!

Thats it I'm sending him a fax because this is something I must know!!!!
maybe I had better call, think they know anything!!!

SOSADFORUS wrote:

maybe I had better call, think they know anything!!!

Call! It's easier to convey what a jerk he is in person!

What a friggin' idiot. If every state said the same thing, and you know they will, we'd be right back where we're at now. Taxpayers should not be paying for benefits for foreign nationals that their own country will not provide. No entitlements, no freeies. Period. Cornyn, you're up for re-election in '08 and you're going down!

The state of CA spends over $750 MILLION to incarcerate illegal aliens each year, and if it were up to Bush we would get nothing from the Feds to cover the costs of Bush's refusal to secure the border from criminal aliens thugs, gang bangers, murderers, rapists, child molesters, carjackers, you name it. In fact, every single year Bush has tried to totally kill the program that reimburses the states for the costs of jailing illegal alien felons, the SCAAP program. Congress has to go back and add in money to assist states to pay for the costs that is incurrred thanks to Bush's treasonous handling of the border.


Senator Feinstein Welcomes Effort by Governors
Schwarzenegger, Bush and the Governors of 12 Other States
and the Virgin Islands to Seek Reimbursement for
Incarcerating Criminal Aliens

May 6, 2005

Washington, DC – California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Florida Governor Jeb Bush and the Governors of 12 other states and the Virgin Islands today urged the House and Senate to provide $750 million to reimburse the states and localities for the costs of incarcerating criminal undocumented immigrants and increase the funds they receive.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was the sponsor of a resolution approved by the Senate in March proclaiming that $750 million should be budgeted in FY2006 for that purpose even though President Bush had budgeted zero funds. The provision was eliminated by the House and Senate Republican leadership in Conference Committee from the Budget that was approved last week.

The following is a statement by Senator Feinstein:

“The Senate approved a resolution I sponsored with Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona and seven other Senators that acknowledged it was the Federal government’s responsibility to reimburse at least $750 million to the states for the high cost of incarcerating criminal illegal immigrants. Unfortunately, the Republican Congressional leadership stripped that provision from the Budget.

I am thankful Governor Schwarzenegger and the other Governors are now urging Congress to provide that amount of money for this effort. But I also urge them to contact President Bush who has eliminated funding for the program in each of his last four Budgets and sought to end the program. With the help of these 15 governors we may be able overcome the Administration’s resistance and ensure that the states are adequately reimbursed for the high cost of incarcerating criminal illegal immigrants.

Control of illegal immigration is a Federal responsibility. When our Federal agencies fall short in this responsibility, state and local taxpayers should not have to foot the bill. It is critical that the Federal government fulfill its duties and help state and local governments deal with the burden that illegal criminal aliens have placed on their justice systems.”

SCAAP properly vests the financial burden of incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens with the Federal government, when these aliens commit serious crimes in the United States. Increasingly, States, counties and local governments from all across the United States have made use of these funds over the years.”

Senator Feinstein’s nonbinding amendment, which was praised by the Governors, expressed the sense of the Senate that the Budget resolution should accommodate an appropriation of $750 million for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) for fiscal year 2006 and reauthorize the program long-term. It was cosponsored by Senators Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), John Cornyn (R-TX), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Hilary Clinton (D-NY), Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Russ Feingold (D-WI)

Senator Feinstein is also the sponsor of a SCAAP reauthorization bill that was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in March, but has not yet been taken up the full Senate. It is cosponsored by Senators Kyl, Hutchison, Bingaman, Schumer, Cornyn, Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John McCain (R-Ariz.) Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and others.

Enacted as part of the Crime Act of 1994, SCAAP provided states between $500 million and $585 million in reimbursement funding annually from 1996 to 2002. Since 2003, however, the Bush Administration has proposed no funding for SCAAP and Congress has only provided a fraction of the amount requested by states.

In the past three years, Congress has approved the following amounts for SCAAP:

$250 million for 2003,
$296.8 million for 2004, and
$305 million for 2005.

It is estimated that states incur approximately $13 billion in criminal justice costs each year for housing illegal criminal aliens. The SCAAP authorization expired in October 2004. Under the bipartisan legislation, the program would be restored and funding would be authorized at the following levels:

$750 million in Fiscal Year 2006
$850 million in Fiscal Year 2007
$950 million in Fiscal Years 2008 through 2011.

I have a burning desire to call Cornyn's office tomorrow and ask the staffer that answers the phone if they know what a friggin' idiot they are working for---I'll recover by morning and find the one polite bone left in my body, I hope...

Originally Posted by olivermyboy

I have a burning desire to call Cornyn's office tomorrow and ask the staffer that answers the phone if they know what a friggin' idiot they are working for---I'll recover by morning and find the one polite bone left in my body, I hope...

Why not call and simply rephrase the question?

You could say something like this, Oliver........
"May I ask you a question concerning senator cornyn?"
of course.......
"Wonderful. Tell me, are you aware that your boss, senator cornyn, since his statement BLAH BLAH has been made public, has now been classified as one screw shy of a straight jacket?"