In Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) explained in a
statement that the bill would disincentivize people from working in the U.S. illegally:
"If we are serious about removing incentives that encourage people to come here illegally, we must address foolish Social Security policies that benefit immigrants who are unauthorized to work in the United States."
The Association of Mature American Citizens furthered in a
letter to Congress that current policy enables illegal immigrants to to abuse the system:
"Under current law, aliens who work in Social Security-covered employment and pay Social Security payroll taxes are permitted to collect Social Security benefits. However, allowing unauthorized workers to draw Social Security benefits enables wider abuse of Social Security, compromises U.S. immigration laws, and further complicates efforts to achieve fiscal solvency."
President Obama would almost certainly oppose the bill. As the Washington Post
explains, Obama's attempt at passing unilateral immigration reform would entail giving many illegal immigrants access to social security and other benefits:
"Under President Obama’s new program to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, many of those affected will be eligible to receive Social Security, Medicare and a wide array of other federal benefits."
As White House spokesman Shawn Turner explained, if people are willing to pay into social security, they should be able to receive the benefits:
"If they pay in, they can draw."
Of Note: Many illegal immigrants already pay into social security without receiving benefits. As VICE News
explains, illegal immigrants pay about $12 billion per year to social security after accounting for what they get back:
"Stephen Goss, the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration (SSA), told VICE News that an estimated 7 million people are currently working in the US illegally. Of those, he estimates that about 3.1 million are using fake or expired social security numbers, yet also paying automatic payroll taxes. Goss believes that these workers pay an annual net contribution of $12 billion to the Social Security Trust Fund."
This bill has been introduced many times before. Rep. Rohrbacher has introduced the bill seven times without it reaching a vote on the floor of the House a single time. He introduced it in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and now in 2015.
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