Menendez, gang of one, threatens healthcare progress over illegal alien benefits
Sunday, September 20, 2009
By Carl Braun
Examiner.com
Union protesters push for healthcare reform (AP Photo)
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Senator Robert Menendez, (D) NJ and member of the Senate Finance committee, is threatening the progress of the proposed Baucus plan if illegal aliens are not included in the package.Menendez, the only sitting Hispanic Senator, may have the deciding vote this week and is the party’s campaign committee chairman. He is reportedly using this position and its political gravitas to leverage language in favor of granting illegal aliens benefits in the Healthcare program.
Senator Max Baucus (D) Montana, on the other hand has gone to great lengths to eliminate any language from the proposed bill that grants illegal aliens benefits, this in response to the “You Lie!” outburst last week by Congressman Joe Wilson during the President’s speech before a joint session of Congress. The House plan did not provide for an effective enforcement provision to prevent illegal aliens from receiving public benefits, prompting the controversial shout-down.
President Obama stated in a presentation to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (video below) that he was committed to ensuring that illegal aliens do not receive benefits per the legislation. However in the same speech he also stated he was in favor of legalizing the 11 million “undocumented” in this country, making the illegal alien terminology a moot point as they would no longer be illegal if his brand of immigration reform passes.
Politicians like Menendez argue that providing illegal’s the opportunity to purchase insurance through government exchanges or the government option is a net gain to taxpayers as those not covered now would be permitted to purchase insurance. Of course nothing restricts illegal aliens from purchasing insurance today aside from cost which under a government plan would likely be subsidized by the taxpayer.
Menendez will be playing his cards this week and will be running into tough opposition from both parties, especially his own, as he and the democrat leadership do their best to "spin" the verbiage to keep the dogs from once again, barking at the door.
Carl Braun is an analyst for the Homeland Security Policy Institute Group and he's logged 5,000-plus hours on the border. He has written several books including his most recent on Border Insecurity, “Above All Else”
. Contact Carl at Carl.Braun@BPAUX.org.
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