Pete Sessions: “one of the more significant ramifications of the immigration bill that is on the floor today is that it will confer…”

“one of the more significant ramifications of the immigration bill that is on the floor today is that it will confer immediately on persons in our country illegally the benefit of the earned-income tax credit. This is not a little bitty matter. The earned-income tax credit is the largest aid program for low-wage workers in America. Last year, the earned-income tax credit benefitted over 22 million people who. The average recipient who receives a benefit under the earned-income tax credit receives over $1,700 per year--a very generous event. Last year, we spent $41.2 billion on the Earned Income Tax Credit. What this bill would do, for the people who are here illegally, is confer on them a Z status, a legal status, and under the impact of the legislation, these individuals would immediately become eligible for the earned-income tax credit. Let me tell you why this is not good policy, it is not required by morality, and it certainly is not required of Congress as a matter of law or policy.”