(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of implementing President Trump’s “public charge” rule, which will encourage those immigrating to our country to achieve the American Dream. The rule that goes into effect this week was initially set to go into effect on October 15, 2019.

Last year, Grothman introduced H.R. 848, which will require an individual to be a U.S. citizen in order to receive federal welfare benefits, such as housing assistance, Medicaid and food stamps. The Weekly Standard praised this bill in an article as “a better strategy to support immigrant self-sufficiency and protect taxpayers”. It is estimated that H.R. 848 would save taxpayers $60 billion in its first year.

study published in 2015 shows that both legal and illegal immigrant households use the welfare system far more than native-born households. Moreover, Politifact confirms that half of immigrant families receive some form of welfare.

“I applaud President Trump for his efforts to make the American Dream more attainable for our country’s immigrants,” said Grothman. “Historically, America has improved itself by accepting hard-working immigrants who improve both the economic and moral strength of our nation. I’m glad that policy will be reinstituted.

 

However, any cheers should be somewhat muted in that four of the nine Supreme Court justices tried to strike down this policy, and because it is not a statutory change, the policy can be overturned by future administrations.

 

Instituting the ‘public charge’ rule is a step in the right direction that will potentially save taxpayers billions of dollars, while promoting the idea of self-sufficiency to immigrants. I applaud the administration on its commitment to address a problem and present a solution. I look forward to the positive benefits and the renewed sense of the American dream that will come with the implementation of this rule.”

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