Washington, D.C. — Last night, the comment period for the Trump administration’s proposed public charge rule closed. This public comment period resulted in a historic public outpouring against the rule; more than 210,000 comments were filed, the vast majority advocating against the rule.
Following the closing of the public comment period, the Center for American Progress’ Jacob Leibenluft and Shawn Fremstad released the following statements.
Jacob Leibenluft, executive vice president for Policy:
The public has spoken loudly and clearly: The administration’s proposed public charge rule will deeply harm our country and the people who are trying to forge healthy and happy lives here, U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike. This rule directly targets children, LGBTQ individuals, people seeking medical care, people with disabilities, and many more.
We hope that the public outcry against the rule will be enough to convince the Trump administration that its proposed rule is not just bad policy but also cruel. But if it’s not, CAP is prepared to continue to fight against this inhumane and ultimately un-American rule.
Shawn Fremstad, senior fellow for CAP’s Poverty to Prosperity Program:
The outcry against public charge has been so overwhelming because the changes to the rule are so egregious. The changes to the rule fly in the face of more than a century of unbroken historical precedent about how this statutory provision was meant to be interpreted. Aside from being simply cruel, these changes reflect massive executive overreach in an effort to circumvent Congress to completely overhaul our immigration system.
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For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick [email protected] or 202-495-3682.