Senate kills amendment that would deny illegals SS

Reuters ^ | 5-18-2006 | Donna Smith

[rcocean]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate blocked an effort on Thursday to limit Social Security benefits for illegal immigrants who would become permanent residents under a sweeping immigration overhaul being debated by lawmakers.

The Senate immigration bill would give millions of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country a path to citizenship as long as they pay a fine and back taxes and meet such requirements as learning English.

[rcocean]

Update: Here are the “Republicans” who voted to kill it; our friend Senator McCain naturally is among them. The lone abstention was Jay Rockefeller, so it probably wouldn’t have affected the outcome. Brownback (R-KS) Chafee (R-RI) DeWine (R-OH) Graham (R-SC) Hagel (R-NE) Lugar (R-IN) Martinez (R-FL) McCain (R-AZ) Specter (

[againstallhope]

if they pay in, shouldn't they get something back?

To not to is corrupt. Mexico is corrupt. We shouldn't be.

Let's start to show how to do things.

[luckystarmom]

We don't owe them anything. They broke the law to come here, and they are just lucky they are still in this country.

[luckystarmom]

Corrupt is coming to this country illegally.

[rcocean]

Here's what Mary Katherine Ham said:

But here's the substance of the debate-- Should ILLEGAL immigrants, once made legal by the McCain legislation, be entitled to receive the Social Security benefits they have paid into the system while ILLEGALLY using FRAUDULENT Social Security numbers STOLEN from actual, legal citizens of the United States of America.

The fact that this is even up for debate is just beyond insane. Everyone knows we will never have enough Social Security funds to serve, you know, actual citizens.

Every single one of those senators knows that, and they're debating whether we should extend such non-existent, unsustainable, budget-busting, generation-saddling benefits to millions of people who fraudulently entered the system by stealing the identities (and sometimes ruining the credit) of legal Americans?!?

Sen. Ensign, God bless him, offered an amendment suggesting illegals should not be eligible for Social Security benefits accrued while illegal.

The U.S. Senate voted to kill that amendment, 50-49.

Are these guys freakin' serious? I'm so disgusted I'm just hoping maybe my C-SPAN feed is faulty or I'm mistaken. I don't think I am.

[dljordan]

"if they pay in, shouldn't they get something back? "

They want to give SS to those who used stolen SS numbers. Using a stolen SSN is a FELONY.

[caisson71]

If illegals have illegal SSI identification numbers, how can we track how much they have contributed to the system? If illegals have legal SSI numbers, we should eliminate the word "illegal" from the dictionary, as it doesn't mean anything, scrap our constitution, as it doesn't stand for anything and have all our elected Congressional reps dress as Santa Claus.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Hagel, Lugar...
How'd Grassely vote ?

[Oldhunk]

Someone please explain what is going on. Presumably, an illegal cannot get a valid social security card. So I guess most have forged cards with invalid numbers. Are these Senators trying to tell us SS keeps track of contributions that are made to each of these invalid numbers?

[newzjunkey]

Depends on whether they'll be credited with all the years they worked illegally or not. If they're LEGAL WORKERS, that's OK but those years they worked illegally?

Hell no. We must not be rewarding their lawless behavior which is exactly why it makes no sense to reward you more the longer you've been able to avoid being deported.

[operation clinton cleanup]

if they pay in, shouldn't they get something back?

If they were legally employed, yes. Otherwise they are SOL.

[catmanblack.]

They are not paying, that is most of them around here get paid in cash. There are some people who pay them like contractors, write a check for the whole amount. At the end of the year they give them a 1099 form, which they immediately toss in the can. So no not any of the ones I have seen and know about pay any sort of taxes. The people that are hiring them for the same wages they pay us, they just don't have to match or pay of the extras. So in fact illegals are making more than a US citizen. No fed,state or ss taxes.

[puroresu]

Unbelievable! Or, sadly, all too believable.

We have a majority of the U.S. Senate representing a foreign nation.

[sergeantdave]

How do you pay out SS benefits to 100 people with the same SS number? Draw a name out of a hat?

[Maynerd]

pathetic RINO performance.

McCain and Hagel are smoking crack if they believe they can win the republican nomination for presidency. The base will shred them in the primaries.

[operation clinton cleanup]

The argument of illegals paying taxes is a red herring... aside from paying them low wages, paying them cash under the table and avoiding regulations is the whole attraction of employing them in the first place.

[Minus_The_Bear]

This officially puts illegals ahead of legal immigrants

[rcocean]

This is a perfect example of why we don't trust Bush.

Why give incentives for people to enter the country illegally?

Hey come on in. Free Health care, Free education, we'll give your kids in-state tution, want some earned income credits? And just say you've been five years and we'll make a citizen *AND* you can bring your whole family here.

Come on down, the USA wants you. Borders - just a line on a map.

[Soul Seeker]

The problem with RINO's is that they never believe they can be toppled. Too arrogant by half.

I am convinced they believe they can be President of the United States, even though they've unmasked who they are in advance. Been quite brazen about it actually.

Paramedics will need to be on hand when they lose, given the degree of shock that will overtake.