BY MIKE CETERA
Is the Republican Party using the immigration issue to attack Democrats and hope voters don't notice the truth? A Washington Post columnist thinks so.
In a column posted this week, Ruth Marcus claims Republicans -- and former House Speaker Dennis Hastert -- are falsely suggesting that Democrats are voting to give welfare benefits to illegal immigrants.
This allegation comes as the House debates an extension of a children's health insurance plan.
Marcus writes that Democrats are seeking to repeal a provision that would require anyone seeking Medicaid assistance provide proof of citizenship.
Because many Medicaid applicants don't have such papers easily at hand -- they're not the passport-carrying types -- the requirement has resulted in tens of thousands of eligible children being denied coverage or kicked off the rolls and has cost states millions of dollars to administer.
Yet Marcus writes that Hastert and other Republicans are suggesting this rule change wouldn't help the children of legal U.S. residents, but would rather hurt senior citizens. The AARP supports the rule change, according to Marcus.
What we do is take, at the cost of seniors who get . . . choices of their own health-care plans, we take it away," former speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) claimed during the House debate. "We wipe it out, and we give it to people who are illegal aliens."
Thanks for the link...
I wonder how your co-worker Dave Parro feels about this. Back on June 26th he said it was "great to see Hastert gearing up for another battle" when talking about this very same story. His thoughts would be welcome here in comments.
I'll leave it to historians to figure out Hastert's motives. But no one should be the least bit surprised Hastert is following the company line. He has always been a loyal Republican first and foremost and this is just another example of this. I'm just grateful his bully pulpit is much smaller than it used to be.