Democrats have aided and abetted illegal aliens’ exploitation of federal housing benefits
WASHINGTON—On Wednesday, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced the End Housing Welfare for Illegal Aliens Act, a bill aimed at barring ineligible non-citizens from abusing federal housing programs at the expense of American taxpayers.
Illegal aliens have long exploited federal housing programs by taking advantage of gaps in existing law, such as the “mixed-status” loophole that allows for non-citizens to improperly receive benefits if they are roommates in the same household as citizens.
Democrats have facilitated such abuse for political gain, because overrunning sanctuary cities with illegal aliens artificially boosts their party’s power and representation when congressional districts are reapportioned.
These abuses crowd out vulnerable Americans—including the elderly and the disabled—waste taxpayer dollars, and endanger the integrity of the electoral process.
The End Housing Welfare for Illegal Aliens Act would:
- Deny Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) grants to sanctuary cities
- End illegal alien eligibility for Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs designated for American seniors and persons with disabilities
- Require public housing authorities to affirmatively verify citizenship before providing services
- Codify HUD rulemaking to permanently close the “mixed-status” loophole, which allows illegals who are roommates with eligible individuals to reap the benefits of taxpayer-funded housing. Under the Trump Administration, HUD has estimated that approximately 24,000 illegal aliens, ineligibles, and fraudsters in 20,000 of these “mixed-status households” benefit from HUD assistance
“For too long, Democrats have encouraged illegal aliens to raid taxpayer-funded housing programs while American families, seniors, and people with disabilities are left waiting in line,” said Hagerty. “My legislation, the End Housing Welfare for Illegal Aliens Act, advances the Trump Administration’s reform agenda by ending this disgraceful abuse, shutting down sanctuary city handouts, closing the outrageous ‘mixed-status’ loophole, and putting American citizens first.”
Find the full text of the bill here.
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