WASHINGTON — Congressman Lou Barletta (R-11th, Hazleton) stated he would not vote for the American Health Care Act without provisions to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving federal health benefits. However, he has received a guarantee from the president and the speaker of the House that they will vote for his bill, which denies health care tax credits to illegal immigrants. Barletta now says he will vote for the health care act.
He said his bill is very simple, “It would require that anyone who has applied for a tax credit would have to have their social security number verified prior to them getting that tax credit.”
Barletta talked about his conversation with President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, “I told the president I couldn’t vote for the bill unless I had the language to fix it. He was unaware that we were not going to be verifying social security numbers. He agreed with me and said he loved my bill. I talked with Speaker Ryan and asked for a commitment as to when the bill would go to the floor. I was given that commitment of sometime before the end of April.”
Barletta says a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs report issued last year revealed that, under Obamacare, a half a million illegal immigrants received $750 million in health care subsidies. (Ali Stevens)
