Washington, Sep 1, 2006 - Ending illegal immigration is one of my highest priorities as your Congressman. This past summer, the House of Representatives passed a reform bill, as did the Senate. The two bills, however, are very different. The Senate version would provide amnesty to over 12 million illegal immigrants. The House says ‘no’ to amnesty and places a priority on controlling our border.

Just what exactly is wrong with the Kennedy-Reid bill in the Senate?  One of its hidden provisions – a so-called “totalization” provision -- allows millions of illegal immigrants to qualify for and receive taxpayer-funded Social Security benefits based upon illegal work done with fraudulent Social Security numbers.

You read that right. Americans will be forced to fund full or partial retirement of millions of illegal immigrants who have broken our laws. Conversely, if American citizens use a Social Security card fraudulently, they are likely to end up in jail and face stiff fines.

The Senate’s proposal is particularly troubling given that millions of baby boomers are set to retire within the next few years.  We know that that the solvency of Social Security needs to be dealt with in a careful and responsible manner. Instead, the Senate acted irresponsibly by heaping on new obligations that are not paid for in their bill. This is not healthy for the Social Security program.

In short, the Kennedy-Reid bill gives millions of present and future illegal immigrants Social Security benefits. Either the younger generation will be forced to pay much higher payroll taxes to fund the new retirement benefits for illegal immigrants or benefits for Americans will have to be reduced. I will not stand by and allow seniors’ retirement benefits to be jeopardized or our children to be burdened with even more debt.    

Not only is Kennedy-Reid a bad deal for taxpayers, but by dangling the prospect of amnesty and easy access to taxpayer-funded retirement the Senate actually encourages more illegal immigration – the very problem it proposes to alleviate. In a sheer disregard of a majority of Americans’ wishes, it rewards illegal behavior with taxpayer handouts, overburdens the Social Security system, and sticks our grandchildren with the bill.   

Fortunately, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are standing firm.  The House Immigration Reform Caucus, of which I am a member, remains vigorously opposed to the Senate plan to grant amnesty and Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants. As immigration legislation receives further consideration, I will work to ensure that Kennedy-Reid’s handout is rejected before millions of illegal immigrants have a chance to cash in.  

We cannot afford as a nation to reward illegal behavior and further jeopardize the solvency of Social Security.