WASHINGTON, May 20–In the Judiciary Committee mark-up of the Gang of Eight immigration bill, Sen. Sessions offered an amendment that would limit eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to citizens and lawful permanent residents. In other words, immigrants who receive legalization (registered provisional immigrant status, or RPI) would be barred from getting the generous taxpayer-funded benefit.
The average EITC recipient gets a $2,000 check from the U.S. government. Although Gang of Eight members have vociferously promised that illegal aliens who receive legal status would not be eligible for public benefits under this bill, Senators Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin joined their Democrat colleagues in voting down the amendment, which was defeated on a party-line vote.
