It looks like the Senate finally connived to get enough votes to succeed in a cloture vote for the immigration “reform” bill under discussion. At least two Republicans have hopped on the amnesty train in the last 24 hours, with more on the way.
However, hope springs eternal – the call for cloture may come today or over the weekend, but it will still require three days of debate before the vote itself. That means the American people have several days to remind their Senators the consequences of the bill for the nation and the politicians’ careers.
What are the consequences of the bill? Much like Obamacare, the politicians have tried to hide them. Here are seven that have come to the surface:
1. From Heritage, Much like Obamacare promised lower premiums and more insurance coverage, the immigration bill has promised border security. However, as Tea Party Patriots pointed out this morning, higher premiums and less insurance coverage are going to be realities under Obamacare.
2. Again, from Heritage: Like Obamacare, the immigration bill “gives over congressional authority to federal agencies, allowing unelected bureaucrats to think up all the details later.” This effectively Congress outsourcing its ability to write laws to a bureaucracy beyond the reach of constituents.
3. Obamacare expanded the size and cost of Medicaid dramatically. Similarly, amnesty will increase the size and cost of Social Security and Medicare. These programs are already near the breaking point; amnesty will make things worse.
4. From Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), via Heritage Action, comes a reminder that unlike properly debated legislation, Obamacare and amnesty were created behind closed doors:
Like the president’s healthcare law the Gang bill was negotiated in secret by insiders and special interests who then essentially offered it to Congress as a single take it or leave it proposition.
5. The major costs associated with Obamacare were pushed back for several years to give the impression of fiscal responsibility. Because the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has rules imposed upon it by Congress to estimate costs for a decade from the day of passage rather than the day of implementation, pushing back implementation of certain regulations, etc. by three and four years allowed the first decade of spending to look affordable.
The same thing has now happened with amnesty. Earlier this week, Tea Party Patriots noted the CBO’s projection of the amnesty bill only estimates costs for two decades, ignoring that most legalized immigrants won’t be retired, and thus on Social Security and Medicare, by then. As a result, the major costs of amnesty won’t be seen for over 30 years.
6. Notice how keen amnesty supporters have been to cite the CBO report, much like Obamacare’s supporters did the same in 2010. They desperately clung to it. Similarly, Senator Rubio’s office told Tea Party Patriots as assessment by the Social Security Administration (SSA) gave the Senator reason to think Social Security will be in better shape after amnesty.
The dishonesty here isn’t new. On March 18, 2010, CBO came out with a preliminary projection of Obamacare’s costs. (It came out with a more final estimate two days later, the day before Obamacare passed.) Supporters of Obamacare cheered the CBO’s preliminary findings, somehow forgetting that the report was never intended as a final assessment.
Now, the CBO report being cited by amnesty supporters is ancient history, legislatively speaking. With the Hoeven/Corker amendment included in the legislation, this is billions of dollars more in costs for what will probably be a minimal drop in illegal immigration. If the Senate was interested in learning from its mistakes, they would wait for an updated assessment from CBO.
Furthermore, Senator Rubio’s office is relying on a preliminary projection by the Social Security Administration, much the same way Senator Reid did to pass Obamacare. In the interest of full disclosure of the facts for the American people, Senator Rubio should demand the Senate wait until the SSA has completed its full analysis, as well as make sure both CBO and SSA separate out the costs of amnesty vs. the rest of the Senate’s bill.
7. Speaking of the Hoeven/Corker amendment, Capitol Hill is scrambling for votes. Changes to the amnesty bill last-minute, conniving ways to get more support…why, it sounds like things were on the Hill when the House passed Obamacare, only after cobbling together a couple of changes to get votes plus an Executive Order from the President allegedly banning funding for elective abortions.
Obamacare is one of the worst laws this country has ever seen. It violates numerous parts of the Constitution, has exorbitant costs, and vastly expands the bureaucracy in Washington.
I guess that’s another way the amnesty bill is like Obamacare. This bill needs to die before it turns into the train wreck Obamacare has become.
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