[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 43 (Monday, April 14, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3077-S3078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WELFARE ASSISTANCE FOR LEGAL IMMIGRANTS

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Madam President, I wanted to call the attention of my 
colleagues and the people in the country to what I think is an 
important gathering here in the Nation's Capital. It is a gathering 
which focuses on the elimination of assistance for legal immigrants. 
The sponsors of this gathering have done over the years a great deal of 
work with the Soviet Jewry, and I guess we can now say Russia and other 
republics. And, of course, they are concerned about legal immigrants--
Jews that have come from Russia or the other new republics, many of 
whom are elderly, many of whom have meager resources, and many of whom 
now as a result of action taken last Congress in the welfare bill will 
be without supplementary security income assistance and will be without 
food nutrition assistance.
  What is important about this gathering, this rally, that is now 
taking place is that the sponsors have made it very clear that they 
don't want to focus just on Jews who have come to our country or who 
have fled persecution, but really on legal immigrants across the

[[Page S3078]]

board from many different nations. The message of this rally, I think, 
is that we are a nation of proud immigrants. We are talking about many 
of our parents and many of our grandparents. In my case we are talking 
about my father who fled persecution from Russia. It really is shameful 
what we did, which I think was an overreach, which I hope we will 
rectify this Congress--I think we must--which is that we eliminated 
assistance to many people. As Mayor Giuliani said, by definition people 
who are receiving supplementary security income assistance or food 
nutrition assistance because they are so low income and poor really 
need this help. So what we are now faced with is a situation in our 
country where over 500,000 legal immigrants are going to be cut off 
supplementary security income and over 1 million are going to be cut 
off from any food stamp assistance. In the State of Minnesota about 
35,000 legal immigrants are going to be cut off SSI and about 15,000 
off food stamps.
  This rally is the first of many gatherings. I think we are going to 
see it all across the country, and it is going to be a combination of 
people who are scared to death. They are elderly, they are disabled, 
they can't work, and really all of the assistance is going to be cut 
off. The question is, What happens to them? The religious community is 
involved. Our county organizations are involved. Mayors are involved. 
Many Governors are now getting involved.
  I want to say to colleagues that as a matter of what is right, as a 
matter of elementary justice, as a matter of compassion, as a matter of 
considering our own tradition, our own roots, our own heritage, we have 
to restore this funding. It is simply unconscionable. It really is 
shameful what we did last Congress. I hope that we will make this a 
huge priority when we go forward with our budget. Otherwise, we are 
going to see a lot of vulnerable people who came to our country, who 
have worked, who have paid their taxes, who were legal immigrants, who 
maybe have an income total of $525 a month, and they are going to see 
almost all of that assistance eliminated. The question becomes, What 
happens to these people? That is the question I have for my colleagues. 
What happens to these people? Are we willing to be so generous with the 
suffering of others? I don't think we can just insulate ourselves here 
and act as if this isn't happening around the country.
  People have now received letters that have notified them that they 
are going to be cut off; that this assistance which has been a lifeline 
of assistance is going to be eliminated.

  I will tell you something. In my adult life--and this is not an 
exaggeration--I don't think I have ever seen people so frightened. I 
have never met with a group of citizens nor have I have ever met with a 
group of people who are more frightened. I have never seen such fear in 
the faces of people. I cannot believe that we don't have enough 
goodness inside of us, enough compassion here to really fix this 
problem, change the course, and make sure that we provide some 
assistance to many people in our country who deserve our assistance.

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