GOP Falsely Ties Shutdown to Democrats’ Alleged Drive To Give All Immigrants Health Care

Maria Ramirez Urist, Polyfact

“Democrats threaten to close the entire government because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of medical benefits to illegal foreigners.”

Vice -President JD Vance in an interview with Fox News September 28, 2025

When the United States was heading for the closure of the government, the Republicans repeatedly accused the democrats of forcing the closure because they want to provide medical assistance to immigrants in the United States illegally.

“Democrats threaten to close the entire government because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of medical benefits to illegal foreigners,” Vice -President JD Vance He said on September 28 In Fox News Sunday.

President Donald Trump, The speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and the Republican members of Congress repeated this line.

This is wrong.

Democrats refused to vote for the resolution of the Republicans in order to extend the federal term of expenses, and their position partially depends on the costs of healthcare. Democrats want to extend subsidies for affordable care in the era of the pandemic era that expire at the end of the year, and roll back from the reduction of Medicaid in the bill on taxes and expenses that Trump signed this summer.

A The proposal of the Democrats will not give medical care to immigrants who lack legal status; This population is already largely not the right to medical care financed by the federation. Instead, the proposal will restore access to certain healthcare programs for legally present immigrants that will lose access in accordance with republican law.

The White House did not respond to the Politifact request about the comments to verify the fact. Vance addressed to criticism About his conversation in another interview, saying that it was included in the proposal for the expenses of the Democrats. This is not.

A White House account He watched the screenshots of a democratic proposal that canceled a section of republican law with the inscription “Alien the right to participate in Medicaid.” It is important to know that these changes will not give Medicaid access to immigrants who lack legal status.

Vance again defended his application in the White House on October 1. Press conferenceHaving said that former President Joe Biden “refused illegal immigration status,” which helped migrants receive federal aid. It is important to note that many people granted by legal status Through the humanitarian conditional -free release or programs of temporary protected status do not automatically do not correspond to Medicaid; TPS recipients are not rightAnd many people who entered the United States on a humanitarian convention -free release should wait five years before getting access to it.

The Trump administration has ceased the humanitarian conditional release and temporary secure status for many people, which makes them unsuitable for Medicaid and healthcare plans in the market of affordable medical care.

We did not find evidence that the Democrats want to spend “hundreds of billions” on the cost of insurance of migrants with illegal presence.

Immigrants who do not have legal status are no longer entitled

Most federal dollars of healthcare cannot be spent on healthcare for people in the United States who lack legal status. They cannot enter Medicaid or Medicare, and they No right to buy medical insurance Through the market of the law on affordable medical care. A small Medicaid program reimburses hospitals for unscrewed urgent assistance, which may include immigrants in the country without permission, but is not exceptional to them.

States such as California and Illinois Extended coating Medicaid For people, regardless of their immigration status, and the states are paid for this. Federal law has already forbidden the states to use federal money for these programs. Anon An earlier version The law on republican expenses would have fined such states, holding financing, but this situation did not last.

People in the country without permission can receive some medical care funded in the federal budget in case of emergency situations; In these situations, hospitals should provide assistance, even if a person is not safe or illegally in the country. Extren Medicaid covers hospital assistance to immigrants that will have the right to Medicaid, if not for their immigration status. The law on taxes and expenses of the Republicans reduced the amount Hospitals can receive for help in emergency situations.

Most of the expenses for emergency situations are used for childbirth. In total, it was less than 1% The total amount of expenses on Medicaid in 2023, according to KFF, non -profit information about medical information, which includes KFF Health News.

The law on immediate assistance republic

The law on taxes and expenses of Republicans made several changes to the right to health care for immigrants living in the country with permission. It is expected that 1.4 million legal immigrants will lose medical insurance, according to KFF analysis from Budgetary Office of Congress forecasts.

Starting from October 2026, the law will limit the right to participate in Medicaid and the medical insurance program for children on the legitimate conditions of permanent residents, people with marshal -buildings, micronzia or palau, who legally live in the United States in accordance International agreementAnd I'm sure Cubans and HayitesField

Previously, a wide group described as “Qualified non -citizens»He had the right to participate in Medicaid and the corresponding program for children's insurance, known as a chip, including refugees and people provided by the asylum.

Some immigrants entitled to receive Medicaid and Chip, such as legal permanent residents, are It is required to wait five years Before gaining access to advantages.

The law also limited the right to the market of the law on affordable medical care with the same group that has the right to participate in Medicaid and Chip, starting on January 1, 2027. Previously, people who were described as “Legally attend“They had the right. This group included “qualified non -citizens” who have the right to participate in Medicaid and people with short -term statuses, such as temporary secure status or foreign students.

The beneficiaries of the program of delayed actions upon the arrival of childhood, known as DACA, for immigrants who entered the United States without permission, since children had previously entitled to cover the law on affordable medical care and its subsidies. They are unacceptable, since The rule of the Trump administration He entered into force in August.

The proposal of democrats will restore access to legal immigrants

Democrats' September 17 Budget proposal partially Expanding forever The Law on Available Medical Service of the subsidy and disconnects billions of republican Medicaid abbreviations and other health programs.

Changes will make the Medicaid, Chip coating and the law on affordable medical care accessible to all legal immigrants who had previously had the right to participate, such as refugees and people provided by asylum.

The democratic proposal will not expand the right to participate in healthcare programs financed from the federal budget, immigrants who do not have legal status.

Vance said that the democratic policy “will give hundreds of billions of dollars of medical benefits to illegal foreigners”, and the White House did not offer its source for this figure. When Johnson was designed to support a similar conversational pointHe referred to the budgetary department of the congress. KFF analysis CBO ratings Established that the provisions of the republican law related to legal immigrants will reduce federal expenses by 131 billion US dollars; This projection did not include an assessment for people without legal status.

Our decision

Vance said: “Democrats threaten to close the entire government because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of medical benefits to illegal foreigners.”

Immigrants in the United States illegally do not have the right to federal healthcare programs Medicare and Medicaid, and they cannot apply for insurance in the market of affordable medical care or apply for subsidies.

The budget proposal of the Democrats will not change this.

Democrats want to restore access to certain healthcare programs to legal immigrants that will lose access in accordance with the legislation of the republican tax and expenses among other measures aimed at simplifying medical services insurance and the law on affordable medical care.

Their proposal would not provide federally support medical benefits to people in the United States illegally, because they did not have access to them in the first place. A small amount of financing, designed to compensate for Medical Medicaid hospitals, which provide emergency assistance to immigrants that will have the right to Medicaid, if not for their immigration status. Finally, we did not find evidence of Vance's statement that the Democrats want “hundreds of billions” to be illegal in the country.

We evaluate the statement incorrect.