Republican Governor Tries to Hide Funding for Illegal Aliens

Governor Dennis Daugaard

“Republican” Governor Dennis Daugaard is at it again.

Earlier last month, the South Dakota House voted to extend taxpayer-funded government health care benefits to pregnant illegal aliens. Last week, the South Dakota Senate Health and Human Services Committee gave their support to this.

Last year, our “Republican” supermajority legislature tried to do the same thing, and it ended up getting all tangled up in a conference committee.  The Democrat sponsor of the bill, Rep. Bernie Hunhoff, and Gov. Dennis Daugaard agreed to fund it through Medicaid appropriations.

Looks like the governor is ready to pull the same fast one again.

From the Argus Leader:

On Wednesday morning, gubernatorial aide Deb Bowman told lawmakers how important it was for them to approve prenatal care for pregnant noncitizens. Then she asked them to kill legislation doing just that. Instead of a bill, an expansion of prenatal care will have to come from an amendment to the state’s budget next week. It’s another hurdle the proposal needs to surpass despite support from Gov. Dennis Daugaard, many “pro-life” lawmakers and legislative Democrats. Last year, a similar budget amendment to cover prenatal care was killed by the Appropriations Committee, and with money expected to be tight, the $220,000 cost of the prenatal care probably will get a tough look from the appropriators this year.

This is what they ended up trying to do last year: hide taxpayer funding for pregnant illegal aliens within a larger generic Medicaid spending envelope.

As his desire to “partially” expand the unconstitutional taxpayer-funded government health care program known as Medicaid shows, Daugaard is like too many “Republicans” these days: he wants to pursue partial liberalism, partial Democrat agenda items, partial socialism, partial bad ideas, and partially pull the wool over the eyes of the Republicans and other taxpayers of South Dakota.

Yeah, just a little poison will be good for us, right?

Instead of looking for ways to expand government and put the taxpayers on the hook for ever-increasing amounts of money, why don’t “Republicans” start insisting that the law be enforced. That way, we wouldn’t have the expense of the pregnant illegal alien or the anchor baby.

Republicans have long been known for upholding the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, and conservative principles. But what passes for “Republicans” in South Dakota seem perfectly fine with things that undermine the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, and make a mockery of conservative principles.

If the party we once trusted to protect freedom has now betrayed us, what are a free people to do?

ADVERTISEMENT

This article is printed with the permission of the author(s). Opinions expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the article’s author(s), or of the person(s) or organization(s) quoted therein, and do not necessarily represent those of American Clarion or Dakota Voice LLC.

Comment Rules: Please confine comments to salient ones that add to the topic; Profanity is not allowed and will be deleted; Spam, copied statements and other material not comprised of the reader’s own opinion will be deleted.

Similar Posts:

• Health Care for Illegal Aliens Bill Killed, Will Be Hidden in Medicaid Legislation
• SD House Cmte Votes for Health Care for Pregnant Illegal Aliens
• South Dakota Senate Cmte Supports Health Care for Pregnant Illegal Aliens
• U.S. Senate Candidates Howie and Weiland Discuss the Issues
• Prairie County PAC: ‘No Syrian Immigrants’

Bob Ellis has been the owner of media company Dakota Voice, LLC since 2005. He is a 10-year U.S. Air Force veteran, a political reporter and commentator for the past decade, and has been involved in numerous election and public policy campaigns for over 20 years. He was a founding member and board member of the Tea Party groups Citizens for Liberty and the South Dakota Tea Party Alliance. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife and two children.

Bob Ellis

View all articles by Bob Ellis