Cruz Seeks FCC, DOJ Review of California's Law on Lifeline Immigration Status
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Tuesday asked FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Attorney General Pam Bondi to probe California's recent law clarifying that the state's Lifeline program “may provide assistance and services for individuals not lawfully present in the United States” under federal statutes (see 2509170065). The law also prohibits the state's Public Utilities Commission and Lifeline from sharing the immigration status of FCC Lifeline applicants or subscribers with other government entities without a valid subpoena or warrant. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the law earlier this month (see 2510080007).
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In letters to Bondi and Carr, Cruz argued that the California law contravenes the Constitution's supremacy clause and federal law. The statute is “part of a clear pattern across the country in Democrat-controlled states and cities” directing taxpayer money toward “illegal aliens,” despite Democratic lawmakers' claims to the contrary, Cruz said. The FCC “has a legal obligation to ensure that federal benefits it administers, such as the Lifeline program, are not given to illegal aliens,” while it's “incumbent upon [DOJ] to hold states and cities accountable when they encourage illegal entry into the United States and violate federal law.”
Cruz asked Carr to provide information on current FCC rules “governing eligibility for the federal benefits under the FCC’s jurisdiction, including the Lifeline program and the benefits provided under the Safe Connections Act,” including any loopholes “that may compromise program integrity and increase the risk of illegal aliens receiving federal benefits.” He wants the agency to examine “whether state-level telecommunication programs that give benefits to illegal aliens are duplicative of federal benefits and should therefore result in those federal benefits being reduced or eliminated.” Cruz also sought information on how the FCC and Universal Service Administrative Co. “verify that federal Lifeline benefits are not given to non-eligible individuals or households, particularly illegal aliens.”