Congressional Corner: A Preventable Storm

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Congressional Corner: A Preventable Storm

by Representative John Sullivan (OK)
As we move into a new Congressional term, a storm is gathering over our already fragile Social Security system. With Social Security facing projections of insolvency, the Social Security Administration (SSA) signed an agreement in mid-2004 with the government of Mexico, making thousands of Mexican citizens eligible for U.S. Social Security benefits.

The “totalization” agreement analyzes the time periods of work for each nations’ citizens in both the U.S. and Mexico when calculating eligibility for the Social Security program. While the U.S. has similar treaties with other countries, mainly European nations with economies resembling our own and a limited number of beneficiaries, the suggestion of a parallel program with Mexico is outrageous. Over four million Mexican laborers are estimated to work in the U.S. illegally and can potentially benefit from this ill-advised agreement.

Furthermore, this totalization agreement is a financial reward to those who have intentionally violated our Federal immigration laws. How can we expect others to respect our immigration regulations if federal officials disregard and ignore violators? This agreement will only incite more illegal aliens to cross our borders with the hope of obtaining lifetime U.S. government paychecks.

The agreement would permit approximately 50,000 Mexican workers to apply for Social Security benefits during the first year. The SSA estimates that the initial cost of the program will be $78 million and will grow to $650 million in 2050. However, the Government Accounting Office, in a September 2003 report, points out that these figures do not consider the estimated millions of current and former unauthorized workers and family members from Mexico. The actual dollar amounts could be astronomical and begin a catastrophic funding crisis for the solvency of Social Security.

Adding millions of lawbreakers to an already stressed system is an insult to Americans who have worked and put money into this program for decades. Social Security was designed to provide support for retired American citizens, and our nation’s Social Security funds should go only to these workers. As a strong voice on the House Immigration Reform Caucus, I will continue to challenge those threatening the solvency of Social Security next year in the 109th Congress. The Social Security trust fund is not a vehicle for foreign aid, but a security net for hard-working Americans who deserve to receive what they were promised.

February 2005