Conservative Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., proposed a bill Monday to penalize states supporting illegal immigrants, amending the American Rescue Plan Act to withhold federal funds from states that give away cash to illegals.
"Some local governments are offering illegal immigrants thousands of dollars for jobs they lost during the pandemic — jobs that belong to Americans in the first place," Sen. Cotton wrote in a statement announcing his No Bailouts for Illegal Aliens Act.
"The federal government shouldn't subsidize state efforts to send cash to illegal immigrants."
The bill will require states and localities to certify they are not offering funding to illegal aliens in order to qualify for federal funds appropriated in the President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act that was signed into law in March.
That bill was passed solely on Democrat votes in the House and Senate.
An attempt by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to add an amendment to block stimulus payments to undocumented immigrants failed in the Senate 50-49 strictly on Democrat votes.
"Last week, it was reported that New York would offer one-time payments of up to $15,600 to illegal immigrants who lost work during the pandemic," Cotton's news release noted. "States and municipalities that refuse to comply with the certification requirement will not be eligible for American Rescue Plan Act funds.
"The bill will not affect any of the Paycheck Protection Program loans offered to companies and nonprofit organizations. The bill also will not affect the unemployment provisions or the relief checks offered to Americans under the American Rescue Plan Act."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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