There were a lot of reasons for the number of people illegally crossing our southern border during the Biden administration. Among the illegals were people fleeing violence in their home countries, people simply looking for a better, more peaceful life, people looking to take advantage of America’s social safety net, and people simply looking for work to earn money to send home. America’s social safety net was a part of what drew people here, but it was not all of the reason. President Trump decided to do away with at least that reason.
On Wednesday, Chronicles Magazine reported the following:
The Trump White House has successfully flooded the zone in its first 30 days, flummoxing its opponents with a pace and scale even the most ardent anti-Trumper could not have expected. Among all the moves Trump has taken to combat illegal immigration, however, one executive order signed last week stands out and could be the game changer the country so desperately needs.
President Trump’s order to end federal spending on those here illegally is one of the most meaningful steps taken to end America’s long-running problems with illegal immigration.
“The surge in illegal immigration, enabled by the previous Administration, is siphoning dollars and essential services from American citizens while state and local budgets grow increasingly strained,” the order states. “With this Executive Order, President Trump is ensuring taxpayer resources are used to protect the interests of American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
How many dollars are there in question? A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) last year targeted federal expenditures on illegal aliens during the four years of the Biden administration. The CBO claimed that that the federal government spent $177 billion in benefits for adult illegal aliens and their children who were admitted under Biden. Add that to another $101 billion of other federal spending on illegals, and CBO’s figure comes to $277 billion.
The report further specified where that money goes. Among the biggest categories were Obamacare premium tax credits ($59 billion), Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit ($43 billion), Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, also known as CHIP ($40 billion), and food stamps ($15 billion). This only includes federal spending. A study in 2023 found the annual net cost of illegal immigration to the United States at the federal, state, and local levels, is $150.7 billion.
Is there any question that this needs to stop now?