Dems Pretend They Don't Want Medicaid For Millions Of Migrants

The federal government shut down on Wednesday after Democrats refused to vote on a clean continuing resolution to keep the government funded for the next seven weeks. Republicans have accused Democrats of being unwilling to fund the government without restoring health care eligibility for certain foreign nationals, a claim that has been met with pushback from Democratic leaders and some media outlets.

Explainer Dems Pretend They Don't Want Medicaid For Millions Of Migrants

Democrats' proposal to fund the government includes a provision that would rescind Subtitle B in Title VII of the One Big Beautiful Bill, which narrowed eligibility requirements for government health care benefits like Medicaid. This section specifically restricts eligibility for certain foreign nationals, including approximately 2.8 million individuals who received blanket parole into the United States under the Biden administration.

Democratic leaders, including Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have publicly stated that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federal health care programs. Jeffries described claims that Democrats want to extend Medicaid to illegal aliens as an “outright lie,” asserting that federal law prohibits taxpayer dollars from being used for medical coverage for undocumented individuals.

In a social media post, Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse compared Republican claims to unfounded rumors, stating, “Health care for illegal aliens is the new ‘immigrants are eating cats and dogs in Springfield.’”

Democrats and their media allies have been quick to counter Republican assertions. CNN’s Tami Luhby labeled the claims as “not true,” while The New York Times’ Linda Qiu characterized them as “misleading.” Qiu noted that while Democrats’ budget proposal does not explicitly make illegal aliens eligible for Medicaid, it does seek to restore eligibility for certain immigrant groups that had previously been excluded.

The debate centers around the definition of “illegal alien.” Critics argue that Democrats are intentionally narrowing this definition to exclude millions of foreign nationals who have been granted parole status by the Biden administration. The administration has facilitated the entry of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and Nicaraguans into U.S. towns, often under circumstances that many Americans would consider illegal.

As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the ongoing discussions will affect federal funding and health care eligibility for immigrants in the United States. The tension between the two parties highlights the complexities surrounding immigration policy and health care access.

Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. She graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business, and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2