Posted on 10/05/2025 1:25:31 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
The government shutdown drama unfolding in Washington is political theater covering up something far worse. While legislators argue over budget details, they’re ignoring an uncomfortable truth: Congress has already surrendered its most important power — the power to control spending — and the bill has arrived.
That bill totals $170 billion over the next decade.
This isn’t money Congress approved. It’s money the Executive Branch simply decided to spend, creating mandatory costs through administrative decisions that lawmakers are now forced to fund. How? By strategically expanding “parole” authority under immigration law to reclassify millions of people, instantly making them eligible for federal benefits Congress never authorized.
The Parole Loophole
The whole system turns on a single phrase: “lawfully present.” Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Department of Homeland Security can “parole” non-citizens into the country temporarily. The magic number is one year — parole someone for a year or more, and federal law labels them “lawfully present,” opening the door to federal benefits.
By the end of 2024, the administration had implemented 605 immigration-related executive actions, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Critics say this was deliberate: Administratively expand who qualifies for benefits without asking Congress. Millions who entered illegally were transformed, through bureaucratic paperwork, into people with legal claims on taxpayer-funded programs.
Three Ways the Money Drains Out
The financial damage hits through three channels, draining resources at federal, state, and local levels.
1. Health Care Subsidies
![]()
The biggest cost flows through the Affordable Care Act. People classified as “lawfully present” become eligible for ACA marketplace plans, including premium tax credits and cost-sharing help — subsidies paid entirely by federal taxpayers. Congressional Budget Office analysis reveals that cutting off this population’s ACA access would save roughly $124 billion between 2025 and 2034. That’s $124 billion the government will spend insuring...
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
The purpose of Congress is reelection.
Nothing more nor less.
Brandon wrecked this country in so many ways.. it will be a miracle to turn it around.
“The sleight of hand lies in the word “undocumented.” By administratively reclassifying millions who entered illegally as “lawfully present” through expanded parole authority, the previous administration ensured that these individuals are no longer categorized as “undocumented immigrants” — even though they entered illegally and would have been denied entry under traditional enforcement.
Democrats can claim with a straight face that they’re not spending taxpayer money on “undocumented immigrants” because the administration already changed their documentation status through executive action. The people receiving $124 billion in ACA subsidies aren’t “undocumented”; they’re “lawfully present.” Never mind that this status was created by bureaucratic reclassification rather than the legal immigration process Congress designed.”
If they can be "paroled" administratively - they can be UNparoled.
Make it happen!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.