Mexico benefits accord rapped
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The General Accounting Office said yesterday the administration has not done the research to justify signing a "totalization agreement" with Mexico, which would allow Mexican nationals including some one-time illegal immigrants to collect Social Security benefits earned during their time in the United States.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030912-120117-3496r.htm
This has been the hallmark of this administration. Earlier this year, the Arbusto HHS created and distributed propaganda commercials pushing his medicare legislation which were designed to look like news reports. Naturally, none identified the government itself as the source of the commercials leaving the viewer to conclude that this propaganda was legitimate news stories. The GAO caught them and rapped their wrists over it.
Here's a quote from the article you referenced:
"SSA provided no information showing that it assessed the reliability of Mexican earnings data and the internal controls in place to ensure the integrity of information that SSA will rely on to pay Social Security benefits," she said."
She also disputed the administration's estimate of totalization's cost, calling the actual cost "highly uncertain.""
The SSA predicted a first-year cost of $78 million based on an estimate of 50,000 beneficiaries currently living in Mexico and predicted the number of beneficiaries would grow sixfold over time."
Ms. Bovbjerg, though, said those figures don't take into account the estimated 5 million illegal immigrants from Mexico currently living in the United States or the millions who have lived in the United States but have since returned to Mexico."
But Rep. John Hostettler, Indiana Republican and chairman of the subcommittee, said an agreement with Mexico will be very different from earlier agreements. "None of those countries have public policies that encourage illegal immigration," he said.
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