Trump Campaign: Biden’s Amnesty Plan Threatens Social Security And Medicaid

In a pointed critique, former President Donald Trump has accused President Joe Biden of jeopardizing Social Security and Medicaid by implementing a broad “mass amnesty” that could make over half a million illegal aliens eligible for these benefits. This accusation comes in response to Biden’s recent executive orders aimed at providing pathways to legal status for certain undocumented immigrants.

On Tuesday, President Biden signed two significant executive orders concerning immigration. The first order offers green cards to approximately 500,000 illegal aliens who have resided in the United States for at least ten years and are married to U.S. citizens. This order also allows about 50,000 children of illegal aliens to apply for green cards if their parents are married to American citizens. The second order grants work visas to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, including those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program who have graduated from U.S. universities.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s campaign, criticized these moves, claiming they would add hundreds of thousands of new beneficiaries to Social Security and Medicaid, thereby straining these systems. “Biden’s mass amnesty plan will undoubtedly lead to a greater surge in migrant crime, cost taxpayers millions of dollars they cannot afford, overwhelm public services, and steal Social Security and Medicare benefits from American seniors to fund benefits for illegals — draining the programs Americans paid into their entire working lives,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt also argued that Biden’s actions encourage illegal immigration by signaling potential amnesty to those entering the country unlawfully. She pointed to research by Jason Richwine from the Center for Immigration Studies, who noted that amnesty would impose significant costs on Social Security and Medicare. According to Richwine, many illegal immigrants currently contribute to these systems without drawing benefits. However, granting them legal status would make them eligible for benefits, turning them into net drains on the system.

Richwine’s findings suggest that illegal immigrants tend to earn less and have shorter work histories in the U.S., resulting in a higher return on their contributions compared to average participants. His analysis estimates that if 10 million illegal immigrants receive amnesty, the total cost to Social Security and Medicare could be around $1.3 trillion, equivalent to a one-time transfer of 6% of GDP. For Biden’s current amnesty plan, the projected cost to Social Security and Medicare could be as high as $71 billion.

As the Biden administration pushes forward with its immigration reform agenda, the Trump campaign’s criticism highlights the potential financial impact on federal entitlement programs. The administration will need to address these concerns and find a balance between immigration reform and the sustainability of Social Security and Medicare.

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