“According to the latest United Technologies\/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll, more than two-thirds of all Americans and nine out of every 10 Republicans oppose making legalized immigrants “eligible for government benefits … before they become citizens,” confirming the issue’s potency as one of the main political attacks against immigration reform supporters in 2014,” National Journal reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The Congressional Connection Poll was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International from June 20 to 23. It surveyed 1,005 adults by landline and cell phone and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. “Every Senate Republican leader will vote against the immigration reform bill this week. Those votes will increase Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) leverage with the White House and Senate Democrats. But congressional experts say the Senate GOP’s opposition decreases the chances that President Obama will sign an immigration measure into law this year,” The Hill reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The unified leadership front against the pending Senate bill will help Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) fend off calls to schedule a House vote on it. Boehner has been critical of the upper chamber’s bipartisan legislation. He has said any immigration bill that hits the House floor will have to abide by the so-called “Hastert rule.” But Boehner has left open the possibility that he could schedule a House-Senate immigration measure that does not have the support of most House GOP lawmakers.”<\/p>\n “On Tuesday afternoon, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) unloaded a series of harsh criticisms on the \u201cGang of Eight\u201d immigration bill in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News. When asked if there is a concern that government bureaucrats may take advantage of nonspecific language in the complicated 1,200-page immigration bill, regardless of the intention of any given provision\u2019s author, Paul said, ‘Yes, that\u2019s what I\u2019ve been saying for a few weeks now, that there are some similarities with Obamacare,'” Breitbart News says<\/a>.<\/p>\n “With help from the Gang of Eight Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid succeeded in a motion to table, or kill, Paul\u2019s amendment that would have secured the border before legalizing America\u2019s at least 11 million illegal immigrants. Paul\u2019s amendment also would have left the determination of whether the border was actually secured up to Congress rather than unelected bureaucrats and cabinet officials in the executive branch.”
\nIn the current version of the Senate\u2019s immigration bill, most legalized immigrants who are not permanent residents will not be eligible for means-tested benefits like the subsidies in the health care reform law. Permanent residents would immediately get access to some programs, such as the health care subsidies, but would have to wait longer to participate in others, like Medicaid.”<\/p>\nSenate GOP Leadership to Vote No on Amnesty<\/h3>\n
Rand Paul Backs Away from Amnesty Bill<\/h3>\n