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House Rules Comm. Caving to Hispanic Caucus — Illegals Allowed in Healthcare Plan

author Published by Roy Beck

The Associated Press has just reported that, after the Hispanic Caucus confronted Pres. Obama at the White House this afternoon, the chair of the House Rules Committee indicated she is giving the Caucus what it wants: 

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) indicated that the House will have to vote on a bill that allows illegal aliens to use the new health care “exchange” and that does not require verification to keep illegal aliens out of the other parts of the proposed new federal health care system.

As I reported in my blog earlier today, the Hispanic Caucus sent leaders to the White House to berate Pres. Obama for his insistence that illegal aliens not be included in any of the proposed health care.

The Hispanic Caucus was especially adamant that illegal immigrants be allowed to use their own money to purchase health coverage in a new government-run “exchange.”

He listened to us. We listened to him,” said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “We made it very clear that 20 votes in the Hispanic caucus” depend on the language in the House bill.
Currently, there is no prohibition in the House bill against illegal aliens buying insurance in the exchange, but the White House backs such a ban and one exists in the Senate bill.

“I think that he got our message,” Velazquez said.

— Associated Press

Basically, Obama and Senate leaders are trying to fulfill Pres. Obama’s promise to the American people that no illegal aliens will participate in any part of the new plan.

But the Hispanic Caucus is saying it will vote against any bill that does that.  At the moment, Speaker Pelosi has no way to get 218 votes to pass the bill without the Hispanic Caucus.  But — as I described in my blog earlier today — we must ensure that the bill would be killed by a sufficient number of moderate Democrats who will refuse to vote for the bill unless it has the bans on illegal aliens. 

The Representatives drawing their line in the White House sand were Rep. Velazquez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Lucille Royal-Allard (D-Calif.), Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas) and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.)

This AP story that just came out contains this bombshell: 

House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., said later that she did not believe there would be any change to the House bill on immigration.
— Associated Press

There is a huge amount of implication in that sentence.

The bill as it now stands has gigantic loopholes that allow illegal aliens to use all parts of a new federal health care program.

If Chairwoman Slaughter is saying the Hispanic Caucus is getting its way and that no changes on immigration are being made, that means NumbersUSA will call on all Members of the U.S. House to vote NO on the rule on the bill, which would keep it from coming to the floor for a vote.

NumbersUSA deals only with immigration.  We do not take any kind of position on the health care bill itself.

But if the bill comes to the floor with all these loopholes for illegal aliens, we most certainly are urging all Members to vote NO on the rule.

ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA

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