Jack Kingston: “Well, let me give some numbers on that: 1996 taxpayers will spend $26 billion to provide welfare benefits to noncitizens…”

“Well, let me give some numbers on that: 1996 taxpayers will spend $26 billion to provide welfare benefits to noncitizens which includes 11 billion in Medicaid benefits, which is basically free insurance, health care, free health care; 4.4 billion in Supplemental Security Income, which is up, incidentally, 825 percent. Now remember we are just talking about noncitizens. There is 2.9 billion in food stamps; 2.3 billion in Aid to Families with Dependent Children; 3.89 billion in housing cash assistance and other subsidies. And that is from a Harvard University study; that is not exactly, you know, a conservative group up there. But this is putting an additional tax strain on American middle class taxpayers. I believe we need to strengthen our border patrols. We need to crack down on deportation of criminals aliens. We need to have sponsorship, legally binding; so if you want to bring your family member or whoever in, fine, but you need to be responsible for that person to make sure he or she is independent of government benefits. We also need to protect American jobs. There are a lot of American jobs that have been displaced. Then finally tomorrow this House will vote on English-first as a language. I believe we have enough votes to pass it. I think the President is probably going to veto it, but I am not discouraged because the liberal Governor of Georgia vetoed it two or three times himself. Finally this year, because of election year pressures, he signed it.”