In some epic news that came on July 10, the Robert F Kennedy Jr.-led Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it had taken major action to block illegal aliens from accessing taxpayer-funded welfare programs, a move that many on the MAGA side of politics see as important in that it could encourage voluntary self-deportation.
Announcing the matter in a press release, which also articulated the specific litany of programs covered by the new rule change, HHS noted that the purpose of the American safety net is not ot subsidzie illegal aliens, saying, “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced a significant policy shift to restore compliance with federal law and ensure that taxpayer-funded program benefits intended for the American people are not diverted to subsidize illegal aliens.”
Continuing, HHS exposed how a Clinton-era rule interpretation was responsible for the disastrous state of things that saw taxpayer-funded benefits being extended to illegal aliens, saying, “HHS has formally rescinded a 1998 interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), issued during the Clinton Administration, which improperly extended certain federal public benefits to illegal aliens.”
It further added that the new interpretation is much more in line with American law than the old interpretation, saying, “For over two decades, the 1998 policy improperly narrowed the scope of PRWORA, undercutting the law by allowing illegal aliens to access programs Congress intended only for the American people. With this update, HHS is complying with the law—ensuring that federal benefits are administered with transparency, legal integrity, and fairness to the American people.”
And, noting that HHS will be ensuring that eligibility restrictions, such as those applied to illegal aliens, are strictly enforced. It said, “The new policy applies PRWORA’s plain-language definition of ‘Federal public benefit,’ reverses outdated exclusions, affirms that programs serving individuals, households, or families are subject to eligibility restrictions, and clarifies that no HHS programs have been formally exempted under PRWORA’s limited exceptions.”
Commenting on the matter in the statement itself, RFK Jr. noted how absurd and infuriating it is that taxpayer dollars have been used for nearly three decades to subsidize illegal aliens. He said, “For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration.”
Continuing, RFK Jr. explained that the rule of law will henceforth be respected and vital, taxpayer-funded resources protected so that they can be used for Americans rather than illegal aliens. He said, “Today’s action changes that—it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”
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Also commenting on the matter was HHS Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison, who explained that the programs will be kept for vulnerable Americans, not illegal aliens. He said, “Alongside HHS, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is committed to providing and protecting resources that serve America’s most vulnerable.”
Further, Gradison added that the new interpretation in which HHS is engaging will put Americans first, not illegal aliens, saying, “Head Start’s classification under the new PRWORA interpretation puts American families first by ensuring taxpayer-funded benefits are reserved for eligible individuals.”
Watch President Trump comment on illegal aliens being removed from the Social Security rolls here:
Featured image credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_F._Kennedy,_Jr._(53427667533).jpg