Sen. Cramer, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Block Taxpayer Funded Payments to Illegal Immigrants

Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 to block President Biden’s reported plan to spend upwards of a billion dollars to provide $450,000 per person in taxpayer money for settlements for illegal immigrants.

“This is absurd. Why President Biden would want to hand out more free money in the middle of rising inflation, which is because of his other policies, is beyond me. On top of that, the people who would be receiving the money have broken federal law to enter the country. Our Border Patrol is already overwhelmed, and the last thing we need is another incentive for more migrants to come here illegally,” said Senator Cramer. 

“Biden’s open border policies have reached a new crazy level. Montana families are struggling with inflation and skyrocketing costs on everything from gas to groceries because of Biden’s wasteful spending policies, and now the President wants to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to illegal immigrants. Because of Biden, our southern border has been taken over by Mexican cartels and this effort will only continue to incentivize illegal immigration making it worse. This is a gut punch to the American taxpayer,” said Senator Daines.

“Giving out potentially billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to people who broke federal law to enter the country is outrageous and an insult to the American people. I am proud to support this amendment to ensure the Biden Administration doesn’t do this,” said Leader McConnell.

Senators Cramer and Daines and Leader McConnell are joined in introducing this amendment by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Kennedy (R-LA), Mike Lee (R-UT), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Todd Young (R-IN), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Boozman (R-AR), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Richard Burr (R-NC), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Mike Crapo (R-ID).

Click here to read the amendment.
Senator Cramer also joined Senator Daines in introducing this as a standalone bill. Click here to read the bill.