Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Politics

White House Touts "Saving Money" as a Reason to Pass Immigration Reform; Saving Money Makes an Even Better Reason to Cut Spending!

CBO estimates $1 trillion in savings over 20 years from immigration reform

Ed Krayewski | 6.20.2013 2:29 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
Large image on homepages | Wikimedia
(Wikimedia)
in dc immigration reform means a bigger fence
Wikimedia

The latest missive from the White House, via the director of the domestic policy council, Cecilia Muñoz:

Hi, all!

This week, we got some big news about the immigration reform bill. It's a little wonky, but it's so great that I couldn't wait to share it with you.

The nonpartisan experts who estimate the financial impact of legislation for Congress concluded that because undocumented immigrants will start paying more in taxes for things like education and Social Security, the immigration proposal in the Senate will make the economy fairer for middle class families while cutting the U.S. deficit by almost $1,000,000,000,000 over the next two decades.

With every passing day, it's becoming clear that we can't afford not to act. Now we know exactly how much is at stake, and it's the kind of news that can help to change the policy conversation in Washington.

The e-mail continues with infographics it encourages readers to share. But what does making the process for entering and staying in the country legally have to do with the deficit?While Shikha Dalmia has explained the various economic benefits a liberal immigration policy provides and there's nothing to suggest the CBO's number is cooked, it's not the whole story. The immigration reform bill being crafted in Washington doesn't provide an amnesty or even simply liberalize immigration laws. Instead the bill is packed with new bureaucracy and spending, like billions to border security, as well as carve outs for special interests that Lindsey Graham says has them coming back for more (in a good way, he says!). A decree to be free it is not.

And if the White House was as excited about saving money as it says it is, it would've embraced the sequester as a starting point and demanded actual cuts on top of it, instead of crying doomsday over  mere reductions in spending increases.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Facebook's Instagram To Release Video Sharing Service

Ed Krayewski is a former associate editor at Reason.

PoliticsImmigrationNanny StateEconomicsPolicyGovernment SpendingWhite HouseBordersBureaucracy
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (12)

Latest

Trump Directs DOJ To Penalize States and Cities That Use Cashless Bail

Tosin Akintola | 8.25.2025 5:21 PM

An Appeals Court Says the $464 Million Fine in Trump's Civil Fraud Case Violated the Eighth Amendment

Jacob Sullum | 8.25.2025 3:35 PM

Trump's Executive Order Prohibiting Flag Burning Is Unconstitutional

Robby Soave | 8.25.2025 2:24 PM

Trump Says He 'Paid Zero' for the Government's $11 Billion Stake in Intel. Here's the Downside.

Joe Lancaster | 8.25.2025 1:15 PM

Bluesky Blocks Mississippi Users

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 8.25.2025 11:00 AM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300