S. 5331

119 S5331 IS: Protect American Values Act of 2026
 U.S. Senate
 2026-08-06
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 EN
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 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 5331  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   August 6, 2026   Ms. Hirono  (for herself,  Mr. Bennet ,  Mr. Blumenthal ,  Ms. Duckworth ,  Mr. Durbin ,  Mr. Kaine ,  Mrs. Murray ,  Mr. Padilla ,  Ms. Warren ,  Mr. Wyden ,  Mr. Markey ,  Mr. Sanders ,  Mr. Booker ,  Mr. Coons ,  Mr. Merkley , and  Mr. Schiff ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on the Judiciary    A BILL
To provide that no Federal funds may be used to carry out the final rule of the Department of Homeland Security entitled  Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility  , and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Protect American Values Act of 2026  .
2.
Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)
immigrants and their families are a core part of this Nation;
(2)
their health and safety 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, and can continue contributing to this Nation's social and economic life;
(4)
the rule of the Department of Homeland Security entitled  Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility  is a dangerous policy that will impede access to essential food, medical care, and housing for many families, while injecting severe uncertainty and arbitrariness for immigrants adjusting to lawful permanent resident status;
(5)
the rule would damage State and local economies while burdening health and service providers, and the Department of Homeland Security itself, in the preamble of the proposed rule, acknowledges the severe consequences of this proposal including that it could have,  downstream and upstream impacts on State and local economies, large and small businesses, and individuals , would  increase the poverty of certain families and children, including U.S. [C]itizen children , and  may lead to downstream effects on public health, community stability, and resilience  including  [w]orse health outcomes, such as increased prevalence of obesity and malnutrition ,  [h]igher prevalence of communicable diseases , and  [i]ncreased rates of uncompensated care ; and
(6)
the rule would circumvent Congress and reverse over 140 years of law and policy, restricting immigration and chilling access to services for which immigrants and their United States citizen family members are eligible, in a manner not authorized or contemplated by Congress.
3.
Restriction on Federal funds
No Federal funds (including fees) made available for any fiscal year, may be used to implement, administer, enforce, or carry out the rule of the Department of Homeland Security entitled  Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility  (91 Fed. Reg. 45324 (July 20, 2026)) or any guidance or sub-regulatory policy that implements or clarifies such.