Cotton Introduces Bill to Make States That Send Cash to Illegal Aliens Ineligible for Federal Funds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353
April 12, 2021 

Cotton Introduces Bill to Make States That Send Cash to Illegal Aliens Ineligible for Federal Funds

Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the No Bailouts for Illegal Aliens Act, legislation that amends the American Rescue Plan Act to make states and localities ineligible for federal funds until they certify they aren’t offering bailouts specifically to illegal aliens.

“Some local governments are offering illegal immigrants thousands of dollars for jobs they lost during the pandemic—jobs that belong to Americans in the first place. The federal government shouldn’t subsidize state efforts to send cash to illegal immigrants,” said Cotton.

Background:

• Last week, it was reported that New York would offer one-time payments of up to $15,600 to illegal immigrants who lost work during the pandemic.
• States and municipalities that refuse to comply with the certification requirement will not be eligible for American Rescue Plan Act funds.
• The bill will not affect any of the Paycheck Protection Program loans offered to companies and nonprofit organizations.
• The bill also will not affect the unemployment provisions or the relief checks offered to Americans under the American Rescue Plan Act.

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