{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://barletta.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/barletta-bill-removes-incentive-to-hire-amnesty-recipients-protects-us", "Barletta Bill Removes Incentive to Hire Amnesty Recipients, Protects U.S. Jobs", "2014-12-03", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Lou Barletta", "B001269", "barletta.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today highlighted his own legislation as a mechanism to remove a $3,000 per job incentive created by President Obama for employers to hire amnesty recipients over legal American workers.\u00a0 The Affordable Care Act and Obama\u2019s recently announced amnesty program for illegal immigrants combine to make it financially more attractive for businesses to choose illegal immigrants when making hiring decisions.\u00a0 Barletta\u2019s bill, the Defense of Legal Workers Act (H.R. 5761), removes the incentive by clarifying that illegal immigrants granted amnesty by executive action cannot be issued work permits.\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\u201cWhen it comes to illegal immigration, the conversation is always focused on how to help the illegal immigrants, who have broken our laws,\u201d Barletta said.\u00a0 \u201cNo one ever wants to talk about how granting them amnesty will affect legal American workers.\u00a0 It\u2019s about time someone stood up for the millions of people who are looking for work, but who will now find millions of new competitors for jobs that are already scarce.\u201d\n\u00a0\nObamacare, Amnesty Threaten American Jobs\n\u00a0\nBarletta introduced the Defense of Legal Workers Act in advance of the president\u2019s announcement of his amnesty program, which includes handing out work permits to as many as five million illegal immigrants.\u00a0 Under Obamacare, businesses with fifty or more employees must provide health insurance or pay a $3,000 for each worker not insured.\u00a0 However, under President Obama\u2019s recent executive action on illegal immigration, those receiving amnesty will not be eligible for Obamacare.\u00a0 The result is a strong, $3,000 per job incentive to hire amnesty recipients rather than workers who were already legally present in the United States.\u00a0 Barletta\u2019s legislation would remove that enticement by preventing work permits from being issued to amnesty recipients.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\u201cNearly twenty million Americans woke up this morning either unemployed or underemployed,\u201d Barletta said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd now we find out that the toxic combination of amnesty and Obamacare will actually drive businesses away from hiring Americans.\u00a0 What\u2019s worse is that employers will now have financial incentive to replace existing workers with illegal immigrants who have received amnesty.\u00a0 What I can\u2019t figure out is if that\u2019s an unintended consequence or a planned feature of the president\u2019s policies.\u201d\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\nClick here or on images for video of Barletta Q&A with Sec. Johnson\n\u00a0\nIn a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee Tuesday, Barletta asked Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson about the $3,000 per job incentive to hire amnesty recipients.\u00a0 Johnson\u2019s answer was brief and unsatisfactory:\n\u00a0\nRep. Barletta: Mr. Secretary, is it true that the illegal immigrants who are granted amnesty will not need to comply with the Affordable Care Act?\n\u00a0\nSecretary Johnson: Those who are candidates for and are accepted into the Deferred Action program will not be eligible for comprehensive health care.\n\u00a0\nRep. Barletta: So, therefore an employer may have a decision to make: do I keep the American worker and provide health insurance or pay a $3,000 fine, or do I get rid of the American worker and hire someone who I do not have to provide health insurance and I won\u2019t get fined?\u00a0 Is that a possibility?\n\u00a0\nSecretary Johnson: I don\u2019t see it that way.\n\u00a0\nRep. Barletta: You don\u2019t think any employers will see it that way?\n\u00a0\nSecretary Johnson: I don\u2019t think I see it that way, no.\u00a0 No, sir.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nFollowing the hearing, Barletta expressed his frustration about the unsatisfactory answers from the Obama Administration regarding the president\u2019s policies and their effects on American workers.\n\u00a0\n\u201cI keep hearing people say that illegal immigrants are doing the jobs that Americans don\u2019t want to do,\u201d Barletta said.\u00a0 \u201cWell, now the illegal immigrants won\u2019t do those jobs anymore either, because the president just cleared the way for them to take all of the other jobs away from Americans as well.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://barletta.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/barletta-bill-removes-incentive-to-hire-amnesty-recipients-protects-us"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6792500391602516, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}