Democrats Block Motion to Bar Illegal Immigrants from Getting Stimulus Payments

House Democrats blocked a motion on Friday to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving stimulus payments included in the Democrat phase four coronavirus bill.

As the House prepared to vote on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) $3 trillion, 1,815-page phase coronavirus bill, the Heroes Act, Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) offered a motion to recommit. Riggleman’s motion to recommit would offer an amendment to the coronavirus bill to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving stimulus payments in the Heroes Act.

The House rejected the motion to recommit, with 198 votes in favor of the motion and 209 votes against the measure.

Riggleman said that the bipartisan phase three bill, the CARES Act, stipulated that illegal immigrants and noncitizens could not get the $1,200 per person stimulus checks. The Democrat Heroes Act changes this mandate.

Riggleman noted that among other “progressive agenda items hidden amongst these poison pills is a provision that would change the ID requirement in the CARES Act rebate checks from Social Security number to Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).”

“This switch would allow illegal immigrants and noncitizens to get checks they aren’t eligible for,” Riggleman said. “I didn’t think that a global pandemic meant it was time to stop helping American citizens who are desperate for assistance.”

“Now more than ever, we need to make sure that these rebate checks go to Americans who need it,” he added.

Riggleman continued:

It’s time that we stand up and show Americans that we can do our jobs in Congress. Be the responsible leaders Americans elected us to be, not partisan headline grabbers, or those who think messaging bills are more important than sensible legislation for all Americans. The authors of this bill do not intend it to become law, makes a mockery of our responsibility to govern.

“Enough of the messaging bills, let’s stop playing politics and start working on solutions that will help the American people,” Riggleman charged.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.