A freelance journalist reported on billions of dollars stolen from welfare programs in Minnesota. Congress did not uncover this scandal; a member of the public did. How did Congress respond? Did they open their own investigation, or claw back money from Minnesota? No, they simply decided to spend another $5 billion on welfare.

If Congress cared so much about addressing welfare fraud of the kind found in Minnesota, why is the Senate considering a spending package that includes yet another $5 billion in taxpayer funded welfare for refugees?

Can Democrats and big government Republicans be so obtuse as to propose spending more than $5 billion to provide handouts for refugees after federal prosecutors unveiled a scheme, largely involving Minnesota’s Somali community, to defraud as much as $9 billion in taxpayer money?

It seems, sadly, the answer to that question is: Yes. Left to operate in the shadows, there is nothing that will stop Congress’ big spenders from spending big.

As the Senate debates this spending package, I have offered an amendment to return to the taxpayers the $5 billion the big spenders would devote to refugee welfare. The good news is my amendment is germane, which simply means that it requires a mere simple majority to pass.

If every Republican votes to support my amendment, we can put an end to welfare for refugees. The bad news is that even the Republican Party has its fair share of big spenders.

But, even if the big spenders defeat my amendment to defend the taxpayers, I will at least expose the arrogance of those who will always vote to steal from the people because they think they know how to better spend it.

I suspect the big spenders thought they could get away with it. Big spenders write big spending bills. Every one of this massive bill’s 1,539 pages contains a directive on how the people’s money should be spent.

The $5 billion in refugee welfare includes healthcare benefits similar to Medicaid. The American people deserve to be frustrated when the average employer-sponsored health insurance plan is now over $27,000, yet Congress is focused on providing “free” coverage to refugees.

And still, after Americans have been compelled to pay for refugee healthcare, shelter, transportation, and food, they are still expected to provide more for refugees.

For example, the $5 billion in refugee welfare pays for day care for children. For many Americans, that’s an expense of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per month. But whether you have kids or not, you are expected to pay for refugee day care.

And we’ve all seen the alleged fraudulent day care centers in Minnesota—we won’t soon forget the “Learing Center.”

And, even that is not all. The $5 billion in refugee welfare pays for English-learning education, employment training, and job placement services. Refugees can even receive loans to start their own businesses.

Many refugees are good people. Frankly, some of the best Americans just got here. But our welcome mat should not be a welfare check.

The recent welfare scandal in Minnesota shows us how important it is to stop the open-ended funding of refugee resettlement.

The resettlement programs that are funded by this bill determine where in the United States refugees are placed and are supposed to encourage economic self-sufficiency.

But a recent report from the Center for Immigration Studies noted that 54 percent of Somali-headed households in Minnesota receive food stamps and 73 percent of Somali households have at least one member on Medicaid. That is in stark contrast to native born households, in which 7 percent receive food stamps and 18 percent have a member on Medicaid.

These statistics show that these programs have failed to make refugees economically self-sufficient. Yet, Americans are constantly compelled by their government to fund these failed programs.

And now, after Americans have seen how poorly the refugee welfare program has failed, Congress demands $5 billion more of our money.

How could Congress, in good conscience, pass a bill that would spend billions upon billions of more taxpayer dollars on refugee welfare without so much as a scintilla of reform?

Members of Congress will send letters and post tweets about the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse in our welfare programs. But those are mere words. I am presenting the Senate with an opportunity to defund those refugee welfare programs.

America can’t be the world’s sugar daddy when we can’t even afford welfare for our own citizens.

It’s time the American government stands up for the American taxpayers. No more welfare for refugees until there is a nationwide investigation into this fraud. No more welfare for refugees until Congress balances its budget.

It’s time for action, not just words. The Senate must pass my amendment as the first step toward ending this abuse of the welfare system.