It seems hard to believe, but according Elizabeth Harrington’s reporting for the Washington Free Beacon, that is indeed the case.

Harrington reported:

Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.) sent a letter obtained exclusively by the Free Beacon to Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Carolyn Colvin on Thursday, raising concerns regarding revelations that individuals who cannot speak English are fast-tracked for disability approval.

“I write to express my concerns about the expanding number of individuals now qualified for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and to raise a specific issue, the basis for many of these individuals’ disability classification, where the inability to speak English is a determinative factor,” Sessions said.

Sessions revealed a policy for SSDI payments that allows individuals to qualify for benefits more quickly if “they are incapable of communicating in English.”

The Social Security Act allows for the consideration of education when deciding if an individual is disabled. “The education factor is not limited to actual education as it relates to schooling, but includes a linguistic limitation on the ability to communicate in the English language,” Sessions said.

The number of people receiving disability payments has skyrocketed in recent years, and they are draining Social Security of funds needed to support the retirement of people who have worked their entire lives, paying into Social Security. Those who have come to this country and not bothered to learn the language (command of basic English is a requirement of citizenship) should not be given priority over American citizens.

Sen. Sessions’ letter deserves a detailed response.

Hat tip: Ed Lasky