A group of GOP lawmakers on Tuesday moved to block taxpayer money going to illegal immigrants, which the Biden administration is considering to compensate families separated at the border under former President Trump’s zero tolerance policies.
Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Rick Scott of Florida and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania led other Republicans in introducing a bill that would restrict government agencies from using taxpayer dollars for legal settlements.
“If the Biden administration is going to propose settlements as a way to pay people off, like the $450,000 settlements for illegal border crossers, then the agreements should be subject to congressional disapproval and nullification just like other ill-advised executive actions like vaccine mandates,” Mr. Lankford said in a statement.
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The bill is in response to White House plans to pay illegal immigrant families separated at the border as much as $450,000 apiece.
Last month, Mr. Biden called reports about the huge settlement “garbage,” but days later the White House said the president was “perfectly comfortable” settling the lawsuit by separated families.
Mr. Lankford previously proposed an amendment to cancel payments and disband a Democrat-led task force on the reintegration of families, but the proposal failed in a party-line vote.
Sen. Gary Peters, Michigan Democrat who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, defended the task force and proposals to ensure government accountability for those separated at the border.
“No child should be forced to experience the trauma of needless separation from their parents,” Mr. Peters said.