The Inside Track: Republican Study Committee Staffer Breaks Down the House’s Legislative Priorities for the Rest of 2013

Posted on October 23, 2013 by US Border Security Council Admin

The U.S. Border Security Council legislative team has developed a working relationship with Paul Teller, Executive Director of the Republican Study Committee (RSC).

The RSC is hearing from many of their members (who have just returned to Washington from the August recess) about the immigration reform bill. During the district meetings over recess, many Members of Congress report that their constituents are demanding that any immigration reform bill strengthen border security.

Although pro-alien forces are clamoring for an immigration reform bill in any form, a key staff member in the Speaker’s office confirms that Speaker Boehner remains adamant that there won’t be time during the fall to take up the bill. After a recent meeting, several representatives of Washington think tanks and nonprofits approached our legislative team to discuss immigration policy. We will follow up with these new contacts and cultivate them as allies in the battle against any form of amnesty for illegal aliens.

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The Inside Track: The Hidden Financial Cost of Statehood for Puerto Rico Begins to Emerge at a Hearing on Social Security

Posted on October 15, 2013 by US Border Security Council Admin

At a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Social Security fraud in Puerto Rico, our legislative team learned just how extensive (and costly to U.S. taxpayers) the problem already is. (As U.S. citizens, the residents of Puerto Rico are eligible for most federal benefits.)

We are going to take a hard look at the figures offered in testimony by two current Social Security Administration (SSA) staffers as well as a former SSA employee who defrauded the federal government by filing false Medicare disability claims with over 70 different names and cases.

There is a huge discrepancy between the national U.S. rates (for diagnosis, disability, etc.) and the same figures for Puerto Rico in several categories.

For example, the SSA supplied figures for “Initial Decision Allowance Rates” for 2005-2012. During that time the national allowance rate has hovered between 42-47%, but Puerto Rico figures show a skyrocketing from 34% to a high of 66% (FY 2011).

Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, admitted frustration during the hearing that no one could provide reasons as to why this huge increase and other discrepancies is in the reporting data.

Clearly, more investigation and data mining of the SSA’s own statistical reports are in order.

Copies of the data are available upon request. Call the office at (571) 425-4162.

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Sneak of the Month: Only One GOP Member Left on the House “Gang of Five” Pushing Amnesty

Posted on October 12, 2013 by US Border Security Council Admin

While it isn’t a traditional “Sneak of the Month,” we would strongly question the recent actions of Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) remaining as a member of the House working group rallying in favor of the President’s pro-amnesty immigration reform bill.

In June, Representative Raul Labrador (R-ID) quit the group. Now, two more of his GOP colleagues have decided to throw in the towel leaving Diaz-Balart the sole Republican. John Carter and Sam Johnson, both Texas Republicans, walked away saying they “reached a tipping point and can no longer continue working on a broad approach to immigration,” citing President Obama’s decision to delay parts of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, “with a single stroke of a pen.”

In a joint statement, Reps. Carter and Johnson said: “Instead of doing what’s right for America, President Obama time and again has unilaterally disregarded the U.S. Constitution, the letter of the law and bypassed the Congress — the body most representative of the people — in order to advance his political agenda.

“We will not tolerate it. Laws passed by Congress are not merely suggestions, regardless of the current atmosphere in Washington. Laws are to be respected and followed by all — particularly by the Commander-in-Chief.”

We couldn’t agree more.

The question remains whether or not Rep. Diaz-Balart will continue to bow to special interests — or if he will stand for the nation’s best interests.

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2013 National Legal Citizen Survey Results Tallied

Posted on October 9, 2013 by US Border Security Council Admin

Over the summer, the U.S. Border Security Council contacted thousands of households with our 2013 National Legal Citizen Survey. The survey was designed to show politicians concrete proof that the American people were against amnesty and opposed to so-called comprehensive immigration reform in the form that the Senate passed.

The survey asked a whole range of questions about border security, the role of the border patrol, pathway to citizenship, enforcement of immigration laws, and about Amnesty Plus.

See the data from the survey.  Results like these are a compelling and effective tool to lobby the government and build grassroots support for policies that will secure America’s borders and keep the country safe from illegal aliens.

We thank each and every supporter that filled out a survey and returned it to us. Without your voice, we cannot win this immigration fight.  (Click each circle below to enlarge graphics.)

      

 

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Speaker Still Talking About Amnesty; U.S. Border Strategy Survey Underway

Posted on October 7, 2013 by US Border Security Council Admin

Although House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) continues to say that there is little chance for the Senate’s version of immigration reform to come to the House floor before the end of this year, the White House and its pro-amnesty allies continue to beat the drum for their version of Amnesty Plus.

“President Obama and the left-wing ‘open borders’ politicians in Congress have been waiting and watching for an opportunity to sneak this legislation through a backdoor when no one is looking,” said U.S. Border Security Council National Spokesman Steve LeBlanc. “With all of the national attention on the debt ceiling, sequestration, and a possible federal shutdown, we must stay vigilant against a sneak attack to get amnesty through this Congress.”

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