As states across the country navigate the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus, state governments are trying to find ways to ease their constituents’ financial burdens. However, one governor is reducing the pool of financial help available to citizens by including illegal aliens in relief efforts.
Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, suggested providing each illegal alien adult in the state with a one-time payment of $1,200 in his budget proposal last week. The children of those unlawful migrants would be eligible to receive an additional $500 compensation.
Gov. Scott’s plan would allocate $2 million from taxpayers in the Vermont state budget and distribute it to illegal aliens who were ineligible to receive money from the CARES Act. Any illegal alien who filed taxes without a Social Security number in Vermont qualifies for the payment. Gov. Scott would join California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee in providing coronavirus relief funds for immigration lawbreakers.
Gov. Scott’s proposal received bipartisan support from the Vermont Legislature. Vermont State Sen. Ruth Hardy (D-Addison) has been working on a similar plan with her colleagues in both chambers and was pleased the Vermont Governor was crafting his own program. Vermont House Representative Rodney Graham (R-Williamstown) showed his support for giving money to illegal migrants, saying, “They deserve to be taken care of too.”
As of July, Vermont’s unemployment rate was 8.3 percent. While the number of Vermonters without jobs decreased from earlier months, it makes no sense to provide millions of taxpayer dollars to roughly 5,000 aliens who do not have the legal right to be in the U.S. The priorities of these officeholders are misplaced.
Citizens of the Green Mountain state deserve elected officials who prioritize their needs above those of illegal aliens, especially during a pandemic. Governors and state legislators need to use their limited resources to help Americans and lawful migrants make ends meet during these trying times.