$1.5B for 'youth jobs fund'? Critics pan pork in Senate immigration bill

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

After a comprehensive immigration bill passed the Senate in June, President Obama says he's "absolutely confident" it can pass the House if put to a vote.

 

But critics question how many lawmakers have actually read the 1,200-page bill, which they say is packed with hidden pork-barrel spending projects ranging from $1.5 billion for a "Youth Jobs Program" to millions for immigrant support groups that some say have a political agenda.

 

"Earmarks, special pork deals, and cash for groups allied with the Obama administration should be eliminated from any final bill," Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said in a statement to FoxNews.com.

 

The largest program FoxNews.com found with tenuous ties to immigration is on page 1,181 of the Senate bill, which allocates $1.5 billion for a "Youth Jobs Fund" to give states money to "provide ... employment opportunities" for teens and young adults.

 

The section was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who first proposed the idea in a stand-alone bill in June. He said then that, "we have got to do everything we can to make sure that young Americans have the jobs they need to pay for a college education and to move up the economic ladder."

 

His office did not respond to a request for comment about why the program is relevant to immigration.

 

Page 219 of the Senate version of the bill also allocates $50 million plus "such sums as may be necessary" to non-profit "immigrant-serving organizations." The bill says the organizations are to use the money to help immigrants here illegally apply for legal status and citizenship, and to teach them civics and English.

 

Supporters of that provision say the money will be well-spent.

 

"Investing in all 11 million aspiring Americans will enable them to contribute even more [to America]," said Julia Toepfer, a spokeswoman for the National Immigrant Justice Center, which provides legal services to thousands of illegal immigrants and which stands to get some of the $50 million.

 

But others worry about immigrant activists using the funds to engage in advocacy.

 

"It would be nice if the groups teach English ... but the money could very well be going to political advocacy," said Heather McDonald, a Manhattan Institute fellow who researches immigration.

 

Immigrant groups, though, say politics won't influence their services.

________

 

Got a bridge in Brooklyn to go with that?

[Valin]

@WestVirginaRebel

 

 

"The largest program FoxNews.com found with tenuous ties to immigration is on page 1,181 of the Senate bill, which allocates $1.5 billion for a "Youth Jobs Fund" to give states money to "provide ... employment opportunities" for teens and young adults"

 

Let me see if I understand this correctly. We send money to Washington DC, then the Feds (after taking their cut) send the money back to the state government so they can hire more people to run agencies/programs that will increase their power and make them more beholding to Washington, and probably not help young people get jobs. Is that about right?

 

http://youtu.be/ShC_OQtimMA

 

Stop this world, let me off

There's just too many pigs in the same trough

There's too many buzzards sitting on the fence

Stop this world, it's not making sense