Protect American Values Act

To prohibit the use of Federal funds to carry out the final rule of the Department of Homeland Security entitled Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protect American Values Act 2. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) immigrants and their families are a core part of our Nation; (2) the health and safety of immigrants is critical to the health and safety of our communities; (3) Federal, State, and local assistance programs promote self-sufficiency by ensuring that families, including immigrant and mixed-status families, maintain their health, strength, and stability to enable them to continue contributing to the Nation’s social and economic life; (4) the final rule of the Department of Homeland Security entitled Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds (5) this rule will harm families and children, including United States citizens as the Department of Homeland Security’s own assessment of the impacts of the rule acknowledge that the rule— (A) may decrease disposable income and increase the poverty of certain families and children, including U.S. citizen children (B) could lead to [a]dverse health effects [a]dditional medical expenses due to delayed health care treatment [i]ncreased disability insurance claims [p]otential lost productivity (6) this rule will damage State and local economies, while burdening health care and other service providers, as the Department of Homeland Security’s own assessment of the impacts of the rule recognizes that the rule may result in reduced revenues for healthcare providers companies that manufacture medical supplies or pharmaceuticals grocery retailers agricultural producers landlords participating in Federally funded housing programs (7) this rule circumvents Congress and reverses 100 years of United States law and policy by restricting immigration and decreasing the diversity of our Nation through factors such as family size, financial status, education and skills, and employability and chilling access to services for which immigrants and their citizen family members are eligible, in a manner not authorized or contemplated by Congress. 3. Prohibition on use of funds Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal funds appropriated or otherwise made available for any fiscal year may be used to implement, administer, enforce, or carry out the final rule of the Department of Homeland Security entitled Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds

Summary: Protect American Values Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to implement the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds, published August 14, 2019, which expands the definition of a public charge for immigration purposes. (An alien who is a public charge may be denied certain immigration benefits, such as lawful permanent residence. Currently, a public charge is generally interpreted as an individual who is primarily dependent on the government for subsistence. The DHS rule would define a public charge to mean an individual who receives more than 12 months' worth of designated public benefits in a 36-month period.)