Posted on February 20, 2025

Trump Signs Executive Order Cutting Off All Taxpayer-Funded Benefits for Illegal Immigrants

Victor Nava, New York Post, February 19, 2025

President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday night barring illegal immigrants from receiving federally funded benefits.

“My Administration will uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans,” read the text of Trump’s order.

The president noted that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) ostensibly prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits, but he argued that in the decades since its passage, “numerous administrations have acted to undermine the principles and limitations directed by the Congress.”

Trump claimed that the Biden administration “repeatedly undercut the goals of that law, resulting in the improper expenditure of significant taxpayer resources.”

As a result, “taxpayer resources” have acted as a “magnet” for migrants, “fueling illegal immigration to the United States,” according to the president.

Trump’s order directs the head of every federal agency to “identify all federally funded programs administered by the agency that currently permit illegal aliens to obtain any cash or non-cash public benefit” {snip}

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