Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) has submitted official comments opposing the Trump administration’s proposed public charge rule. Today is the last day to submit public comments on the proposal, which would impose new obstacles on those who wish to come to the United States legally or seek legal permanent resident, so-called “green card”, status.
“The proposed rule unnecessarily overturns decades of settled policy, allows for inconsistent and arbitrary discretionary decision-making, and is unduly burdensome, while aiming to solve a nonexistent problem. It impermissibly changes the standard of likely ‘to become a public charge’ from reliance on public benefits in order to subsist, to the supplemental use of public benefits common in ‘working poor’ households across the U.S. because their employment fails to provide a living wage or employee benefits such as health insurance,” Pingree wrote in her comments. “The proposed rule makes fundamental changes to our nation’s immigration system without involving Congress, and undermines our nation’s values. The rule should be withdrawn in its entirety.”
Current law already requires qualifying immigrants to meet a common sense test to ensure they would not become a financial burden on the public under a change in status. The Trump administration would add more programs to this test, raising the barrier to legal immigration and causing harm to tax-paying immigrant families by causing them to avoid health care and nutrition services for fear of jeopardizing their green card application.
Pingree has also cosponsored legislation introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) to block implementation of the rule.
The proposed rule and link to comment are available here.
