After Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) yelled "You lie!" when President Obama told Congress that illegal immigrants would not benefit from health care reform, the president responded, "That's not true." But behind the scenes, Democrats scrambled to make sure that the president was right.
In the days that followed, congressional staff added language to the Senate Finance Committee requiring verification of applicants' citizenship or legal residency to receive benefits. The bill already bill stipulated that illegal immigrants would not receive benefits, a provision also in the House version.
On Wednesday, Senate Republicans tried to push Democrats one step further with an amendment from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) to require a photo ID to verify a person's identity before he or she could apply for Medicaid or children's health insurance. Grassley said that photo identification would cut down on fraud and is routinely required for everyday activities like getting a fishing license. "Should states require more to get a $10 fishing license than to get health care"? Grassley asked.
This picture of Obama was in the Boston Globe this week. Can you imagine if a conservative published this.
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