Trump suggests creating law enacted in 1996

[GMDino]

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/338901-trumps-suggests-creating-law-that-has-been-enacted-since-1996

Quote:President Trump in a rally on Wednesday evening said immigrants who enter the United States should not be eligible for welfare benefits for five years, though such a law has already existed for 20 years.

“The time has come for new immigration rules which say that those seeking admission into our country must be able to support themselves financially and should not use welfare for a period of at least five years,” Trump told a crowd in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the U.S. Cellular Center. 

The president said his administration would be “putting in legislation to that effect very shortly.” 
But such a law is already in effect and has been in place since 1996. 

Known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), the legislation was passed during the administration of former President Bill Clinton and said that an immigrant is “not eligible for any Federal means-tested public benefit” for 5 years, which starts on the date the immigrant enters the country.

There are exceptions under the law as to what qualifies as a federal-means tested public benefit. Some exceptions include certain medical assistance, "in-kind emergency disaster relief," and public health assistances for some vaccines.

Trump has long pushed for more aggressive immigration policies, seeking to build a wall on the United States’ border with Mexico. 

[ballsofsteel]

"the legislation was passed during the administration of former President Bill Clinton"

This must be a mistake. Democrats voting against giving out welfare? Come on.

[Belsnickel]

(06-22-2017, 04:46 PM)ballsofsteel Wrote: "the legislation was passed during the administration of former President Bill Clinton"

This must be a mistake. Democrats voting against giving out welfare? Come on.

Welcome to the neoliberal policies of the current Democratic Party.

[Dill]

(06-22-2017, 10:44 AM)GMDino Wrote: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/338901-trumps-suggests-creating-law-that-has-been-enacted-since-1996

Most of the people cheering for Trump will not know this, nor learn later that his proposal is already law.

But just proposing this "law" supports already held beliefs about immigrants sucking up taxpayer money. Obviously thousands of immigrants are receiving public support or why would he be talking about the law? And Trump is going to stop that, as he promised he would.  Wonderful image--thousands of people being cut off from taxpayer money. Imagine the surprised look on their smug lazy faces. TAKE THAT freeloaders!  We are winning more and more every day.

Trump's lack of knowledge here is a plus.

[mallorian69]

Y'all seem quite sure that immigrants get no public assistance, but maybe you should dig a little deeper instead of just parroting what the left has to say.

Quote:Animated by politicians’ abiding concern that ill, poor, or unemployable newcomers would drain public coffers, the 1996 law reflected provisions that have been part of the U.S. immigration code for decades, labeling newcomers who may become unable to provide for themselves “public charges,” making them inadmissible, or barring their ability to get a green card. The immigration code allows for the deportation of green-card holders within five years of arrival if they become public charges, but prior administrations have limited the public charge definition in this context to immigrants who use cash welfare programs or long-term institutional care funded by the government.  As a result, very few people have been deported on these grounds. This could change if a regulation mirroring language in the draft order leads to much wider grounds for deportation based on benefits receipt. Finally, the law requires the sponsors of new legal immigrants to that attest to their ability to provide financially for the newcomers, and allows federal, state, or local governments to compel reimbursement for benefits from sponsors.

Legal immigrants’ eligibility for public benefits has expanded somewhat since the 1996 welfare law was enacted: Congress restored  food stamps to recently arrived LPR children as well as Medicaid/CHIP to recently arrived LPR children in willing states. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) makes immigrants who are lawfully present—including green-card holders and temporary visitors—eligible for subsidies to purchase private health coverage. Several states, among them California and New York, fund public benefit programs for legal immigrants who cannot access federal assistance under the 1996 welfare law.

Quote:Redefining “public charge” and “means-tested public benefits” to span a much wider variety of federal programs. The draft order refers to all “public benefits for which eligibility or amount is determined in any way on the basis of income, resources or financial aid.” Though rulemaking might narrow its scope, this definition could include a wide variety of federal programs such as school lunches, college financial aid, home heating assistance, and public health services that are not included in the welfare law’s means-tested definiti

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/leaked-draft-possible-trump-executive-order-public-benefits-would-spell-chilling-effects-legal

So not only can immigrants get food stamps and a medical card inspite of the 1996 law, that law never covered a good portion of public assistance programs to begin with. The new law would close ALL public assistance programs to new immigrants not just the few that they are ineligible for now.