OPINION | Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those held by Sarah Palin.
Congressional Republicans will surely be prevented from passing funding for a southern border wall in the next congressional session so Republican Senator Ted Cruz is looking to take action now.
Republicans will lose their majority in the House, so Cruz is attempting a buzzer-beater shot on one of the largest legislative proposals of the year: a bill which would fully fund the construction of a border wall.
Cruz claims $25 billion for wall funding can be found by simply closing existing loopholes which allow those in the country illegally from obtaining federal funding and tax credits, Texas Scorecard reports.
In a series of tweets, Cruz said, “This legislation would fully fund the border wall along our southern border & identify specific funding sources.”
“I have long called for building a wall as a necessary step in defending our border and stopping the flow of illegal immigration into our country,” Cruz continued. “The overwhelming majority of Texans and Americans want to see the border secured.”
“The WALL Act would fully fund the border wall by closing existing loopholes that provide illegal immigrants with federal benefits and tax credits, without affecting the benefits and tax credits used by Americans,” he concluded.
Republican Senators Jim Inhofe, Mike Rounds, and John Kennedy joined Cruz in introducing the bill.
Here’s more from KXAN:
Cruz, along with Sen. Jim Infoe (R-Okla.), Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced the WALL Act — the first legislation that would identify funding sources for the border wall.
If passed, the bill would fund President Donald Trump’s proposed $25 billion border wall and provide specific ways to fund it. Sen. Kennedy claims that enacting certain changes with the WALL Act, American taxpayers will save $33 billion. The changes proposed in the bill are as follows:
- A work-authorized Social Security Number (SSN) will be required to claim refundable tax credits like Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit
- Welfare applicants will be required to verify citizenship
- Minimum fines will be increased for people who illegally cross the border and a minimum penalty will be established for those who overstay their visa in the country.
“(The WALL Act) pays for the wall by closing the loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to received federal benefits and increasing fines for illegal border crossings and visa overstays,” Rounds said. “By funding the wall through increased fines, we prevent any risk of dipping into the Department of Defense (DoD) funding, which is already stretched thin.”
