Jon Kyl, March 20, 2006

The Senate last week approved a budget resolution setting the federal government’s spending priorities for the coming year. Examination of the budget reveals a number of victories for the people of Arizona.

As part of my continuing effort to comprehensively reform U.S. immigration policies, I successfully added a measure to the budget that allocates an additional $2 billion to interior enforcement initiatives. While the $2 billion does not cover all of the probable expenses, it represents a big down payment on the effort that will be required to reform workplace verification. Any immigration bill that passes Congress this year will fail unless we have in place a program to ensure only legally eligible workers can be hired.

Interior enforcement is a major component of the bill I have introduced with Senator John Cornyn of Texas. Among other things, it would require cleaning up the inaccurate Social Security database and putting in place a new electronic fraud-proof Social Security verification system so employers won’t have to guess about their employees’ eligibility. Currently, there are millions of bad numbers; in fact, there are currently over 100,000 workers that use the Social Security number 000-00-0000. Obviously, this has to be fixed; and a part of the $2 billion would fund the nationwide implementation of an Electronic Employment Verification System.

This $2 billion would also fund the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) to provide much-needed relief to our state from the financial burden of incarcerating criminal illegal aliens. Arizonans can also take heart from another item in the resolution. The Senate reaffirmed its commitment to the veterans of our country. The underlying budget proposal would have imposed fees on certain veterans in the system, namely those who do not have service-connected ailments or lower incomes, known as Priority Level 7 and 8 veterans. At a time when our troops are in harm’s way overseas, it’s critical that the federal government demonstrate its commitment to continuing to provide quality care for veterans at home. The amendment I joined Senator Conrad Burns of Montana in offering increases the funding of veterans’ health programs by $4.446 billion over a five-year period, negating the need to assess fees on our nation’s veterans.

Lastly, it’s important to note that the Senate accomplished these increases in program funding without adding to the debt, or interfering with the pro-growth tax policies we have in place -- policies that have successfully sustained our growing economy. We’ve acted in a fiscally responsible manner, shifting, and prioritizing the resources to where they are needed most.

Senator Jon Kyl, a Republican, represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate. He serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.