Lankford Votes to Prioritize Fiscal Sanity in Our Immigration System

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today voted to strike down the Biden Administration’s public charge rule that would allow for individuals seeking admission or permanent residency in the US to receive government benefits such as Medicaid and SNAP without penalty. The resolution passed in a vote of 50 to 47.

“While the nation watches millions of people stream unchecked across our southern border, many Americans wonder about our national security and how all of these migrants will affect our $31 trillion dollars in national debt. While we deal with inflation and rising debt, billions of dollars are being spent on benefits and processing for those who are crossing our border illegally. Our asylum process is broken, and most individuals that come across the border will have to wait almost a decade before they have a court date to determine if they qualify for asylum in the US. Our safety net is being stretched while American citizens fall farther behind because of the policies of this Administration.”

Lankford remains the leading voice in the Senate to secure our southern border, end catch-and-release, and fix the broken asylum process. Lankford was joined by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security to request the agency expedite process Notices to Appear in order to push the Biden Administration to address the growing number of noncitizens coming across the US-Mexico border and improve the immigration system. In a hearing in April, Lankford directly asked Mayorkas about the status of the US immigration system and in his response admitted the asylum system is broken.

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