03.23.13

Senate Democrats Vote To Give Free Healthcare And Obamacare To Illegal Immigrants As Part Of Immigration Reform

“This will dramatically accelerate the insolvency of our entitlement programs and is unfair to American workers and taxpayers.” 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement tonight following a 43–56 vote on his amendment to ensure that illegal immigrants cannot access free and taxpayer-funded health care if they are granted legal status as part of any immigration bill:

“The core legal and economic principle of immigration is that those seeking admission to a new country must be self-sufficient and contribute to the economic health of the nation. But, for years, the federal government has failed to enforce this law. This principle is even more urgent when dealing with those who have illegally entered the country.

Yet today, the Senate Democrat majority voted to extend free and subsidized health care—specifically, Medicaid and Obamacare—to illegal immigrants who would be granted legal status under any comprehensive immigration bill.

This will dramatically accelerate the insolvency of our entitlement programs and is unfair to American workers and taxpayers.

The result of today’s vote places immigration reform in jeopardy.”

[NOTE: A list of Senators voting “nay” can be found below:

Baldwin; Baucus; Begich; Bennet; Blumental; Boxer; Brown; Cantwell; Cardin; Carper; Casey; Collins; Coons; Cowan; Donnelly; Durbin; Feinstein; Franken; Gillibrand; Hagan; Harkin; Heinrich; Heitkamp; Hirono; Johnson-SD; Kaine; King; Klobuchar; Landrieu; Leahy; Levin; Manchin; McCaskill; Menendez; Merkley; Mikulski; Murkowski; Murphy; Murray; Nelson; Pryor; Reed; Reid; Rockefeller; Sanders; Schatz; Schumer; Shaheen; Stabenow; Tester; Udall-CO; Udall-NM; Warner; Warren; Whitehouse; Wyden]