1.   Although illegal immigrants are already ineligible for nearly all federal benefit programs, they have received prenatal care and some other Medicaid benefits.

2.   Among the most compelling objectives of the Merrill Lynch program is the preservation of eligibility for various federal benefits.

3.   An adjustment in the cost-of-living formula would reduce the growth in federal benefit payments for a host of programs.

4.   An Indian man who marries a non-Indian woman has full rights of membership, including a share in federal benefits.

5.   And it defines marriage as exclusively heterosexual when it comes to federal spousal benefits under Medicare, Social Security and other programs.

6.   And neither party has been willing to support a move that could be read, fairly or not, as a cut in Social Security and other federal benefits.

7.   Bill supporters said the ruling could open the door to demands for federal benefits and raise legal issues for other states if the couples relocate.

8.   -- Limit direct federal benefits to undocumented immigrants.

9.   A citizenship program would help New Jersey avoid that extra cost because once legal immigrants became citizens, they would be eligible for the federal benefits.

10.   A new program targeting prison inmates illegally receiving federal benefits is paying big dividends in Florida.