HHS Spent More Than $22B on Grants for Migrants — Including Cash for Cars, Home Loans and Startups
February 13th, 2025Via: New York Post:
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ramped up grants for migrants from 2020 to 2024 — which included cash assistance to buy cars, homes and even build credit for startup businesses, according to a shocking watchdog report that found taxpayers were left on the hook for $22.6 billion.
HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) — which came under fire last year for having lost track of 32,000 migrant kids in the US — handed out the high sum to a host of nonprofits, effectively acting as a “giant magnet” for those crossing the US border and claiming asylum, auditors from the money monitor OpenTheBooks revealed exclusively to The Post.
Tasked with settling migrants, asylum seekers and other refugees in America, ORR drastically increased the number of noncitizens eligible to receive funding over the bulk of President Joe Biden’s term, with more than $10 billion shelled out to grant-receiving organizations just in fiscal year 2023.
That coincided with all-time records being set for southern border crossings into the US, with 2.4 million apprehensions by Customs and Border Protection over the same period.
Non-governmental groups bilked taxpayers for up to $1.7 billion in services including dollar-for-dollar matching savings plans for cars, homes, college educations or startups; small-business loans of up to $15,000; loans to repair credit history of up to $1,500; “cultural orientation,” “emergency housing support,” legal assistance and Medicaid care.
This looks to be about the handling of labor supply. As long as migrants, in the main, were channelled into specific, low-paid work niches (in agriculture, construction…), nothing of the sort was needed. Now if they’re massively introduced into the labor market at large, that’s another story. What I mean is this raises the sensitive issue of domestic workers’ wages.
As a first approximation, the level of wages harmonizes with what perks accompany the ‘absence’ of labor: unemployment compensation, stolen goods (interestingly), off-the-grid production… In other words, at equilibrium, opting-in is as satisficing as opting-out. As long as that latter option offers the same average apparent reward, competitive hiring eventually equalizes migrant wages with the pay of domestic workers (for the same jobs). But meanwhile, those who departed the labor pool broadened their horizons. Capital can spare itself the trouble, I suppose.
ha
This was looting of the public purse and an attempt by the Democrats to turn the U.S. into a single party government by bringing in unknown millions of people and giving them handouts. You don’t need to pretend that it’s anything else.
I can hardly think of a worse idea to gain net votes.