“Democrats are threatening to close down the whole authorities as a result of they need to give tons of of billions of {dollars} of well being care advantages to unlawful aliens.”
Vice President JD Vance in a Sept. 28, 2025, Fox Information interview
Because the U.S. headed for a authorities shutdown, Republicans repeatedly accused Democrats of forcing the closure as a result of they need to give well being care entry to immigrants within the U.S. illegally.
“Democrats are threatening to close down the whole authorities as a result of they need to give tons of of billions of {dollars} of well being care advantages to unlawful aliens,” Vice President JD Vance mentioned Sept. 28 on “Fox Information Sunday.”
President Donald Trump, Home Speaker Mike Johnson, and Republican members of Congress have repeated this line.
It’s unsuitable.
Democrats have refused to vote for Republicans’ decision to increase the federal spending deadline, and their place does, partly, hinge on well being care spending. Democrats need to lengthen covid pandemic-era Inexpensive Care Act subsidies which can be set to run out on the finish of the 12 months and roll again Medicaid cuts within the tax and spending invoice that Trump signed into legislation this summer season.
The Democrats’ proposal wouldn’t give well being care to immigrants who lack authorized standing; that inhabitants is already largely ineligible for federally funded well being care. As an alternative, the proposal would restore entry to sure well being care applications for legally current immigrants who will lose entry underneath the Republican legislation.
The White Home didn’t reply to PolitiFact’s request for remark for this reality verify. Vance addressed criticism of his speaking level in one other interview by saying it was included within the Democrats’ spending proposal. It’s not.
A White Home X account adopted up with screenshots of the Democratic proposal repealing a piece of the Republican legislation labeled “alien Medicaid eligibility.” It’s essential to know that these adjustments wouldn’t give Medicaid entry to immigrants who lack lawful standing.
Vance defended his assertion once more in an Oct. 1 White Home press convention, saying former President Joe Biden “waived away unlawful immigration standing” that helped migrants entry federal help. It’s essential to notice that many individuals granted lawful standing via humanitarian parole or Non permanent Protected Standing applications don’t robotically qualify for Medicaid; TPS recipients aren’t eligible, and many individuals who entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole are required to attend 5 years earlier than accessing it.
The Trump administration has ended humanitarian parole and Non permanent Protected Standing for many individuals, rendering them ineligible for Medicaid and well being plans on the Inexpensive Care Act market.
We didn’t discover proof that Democrats need to spend “tons of of billions” in prices for insuring migrants with illegal presence.
Immigrants Missing Authorized Standing Are Already Ineligible
Most federal well being care {dollars} can’t be spent on well being take care of individuals within the U.S. who lack authorized standing. They can’t enroll in Medicaid or Medicare, and they’re ineligible to buy well being care protection via the Inexpensive Care Act market. A small Medicaid program reimburses hospitals for uninsured emergency care, which may embrace immigrants within the nation with out authorization however isn’t unique to them.
States comparable to California and Illinois expanded Medicaid protection for individuals no matter their immigration standing, and the states pay for that. Federal legislation already banned states from utilizing federal cash for these applications. An earlier model of the Republican spending legislation would have penalized such states by withholding funding, however that provision didn’t final.
Individuals within the nation with out permission may obtain some federally funded well being care in emergency circumstances; in these conditions, hospitals should present care even when an individual is uninsured or within the nation illegally. Emergency Medicaid covers hospital take care of immigrants who could be eligible for Medicaid if not for his or her immigration standing. The Republican tax and spending legislation decreased the quantity hospitals can obtain for emergency immigrant care.
Most Emergency Medicaid spending is used on childbirth. In all, it represented lower than 1% of whole Medicaid spending in fiscal 12 months 2023, in keeping with KFF, a well being data nonprofit that features KFF Well being Information.
GOP Legislation Restricted Care Entry for Immigrants With Authorized Standing
The Republican tax and spending legislation made a number of adjustments to well being care eligibility for immigrants dwelling within the nation with permission. An estimated 1.4 million authorized immigrants are anticipated to lose their medical insurance, in keeping with a KFF evaluation of Congressional Funds Workplace projections.
Beginning October 2026, the legislation will prohibit eligibility for Medicaid and the Youngsters’s Well being Insurance coverage Program to lawfully everlasting residents, individuals from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, or Palau who lawfully reside within the U.S. underneath an worldwide settlement, and sure Cubans and Haitians.
Beforehand, a broad group, described as “certified noncitizens,” was eligible for Medicaid and its associated Youngsters’s Well being Insurance coverage Program, referred to as CHIP, together with refugees and other people granted asylum.
Some immigrants eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, comparable to lawful everlasting residents, are required to attend 5 years earlier than accessing the advantages.
The legislation additionally restricted Inexpensive Care Act market eligibility to the identical group eligible for Medicaid and CHIP starting Jan. 1, 2027. Beforehand, individuals who have been described as “lawfully current” have been eligible. That group included the “certified noncitizens” eligible for Medicaid and other people with short-term statuses, comparable to Non permanent Protected Standing or worldwide college students.
Beneficiaries of the Deferred Motion for Childhood Arrivals program, referred to as DACA, for immigrants who entered the U.S. with out authorization as kids have been beforehand eligible for Inexpensive Care Act protection and its subsidies. They’re ineligible since a Trump administration rule took impact in August.
Democrats’ Proposal Would Restore Authorized Immigrants’ Entry
The Democrats’ Sept. 17 funds proposal would, partly, completely lengthen the Inexpensive Care Act subsidies and roll again billions in Republican cuts to Medicaid and different well being applications.
The change would make Medicaid, CHIP, and Inexpensive Care Act protection out there to all authorized immigrants who have been beforehand eligible for it, comparable to refugees and other people granted asylum.
The Democratic proposal wouldn’t broaden eligibility to federally funded well being care applications to immigrants missing authorized standing.
Vance mentioned the Democratic insurance policies would “give tons of of billions of {dollars} of well being care advantages to unlawful aliens,” and the White Home didn’t provide its supply for that determine. When Johnson was pressed to help the same speaking level, he referenced the Congressional Funds Workplace. The KFF evaluation of CBO estimates discovered that the Republican legislation’s provisions associated to authorized immigrants would cut back federal spending by $131 billion; this projection didn’t embrace an estimate for individuals with out authorized standing.
Our Ruling
Vance mentioned, “Democrats are threatening to close down the whole authorities as a result of they need to give tons of of billions of {dollars} of well being care advantages to unlawful aliens.”
Immigrants within the U.S. illegally are largely ineligible for the federally funded well being care applications Medicare and Medicaid, and so they can not search protection within the Inexpensive Care Act market or apply for subsidies.
The Democrats’ funds proposal wouldn’t change that.
The Democrats need to restore entry to sure well being care applications to authorized immigrants who will lose entry underneath the Republican tax and spending legislation — amongst different measures geared toward making Medicaid and Inexpensive Care Act insurance policy simpler to maintain.
Their proposal wouldn’t grant federally supported well being care advantages to individuals within the U.S. illegally, as a result of they didn’t have entry to them within the first place. The small quantity of funding designated for Emergency Medicaid reimburses hospitals that present emergency care to immigrants who could be eligible for Medicaid if not for his or her immigration standing. Lastly, we didn’t discover proof for Vance’s assertion that Democrats need “tons of of billions” in well being advantages for migrants within the nation illegally.
We fee the assertion False.
Our Sources
Fox Information, “JD Vance Slams ‘Preposterous’ Claims on Comey Indictment: ‘Lied Beneath Oath’, Sept. 28, 2025.
The White Home, “President Trump Delivers an Announcement,” Sept. 30, 2025.
President Donald Trump, Reality Social submit, Sept. 29, 2025.
U.S. Home of Representatives invoice, accessed Oct. 1, 2025.
Congressional Funds Workplace, “Distributional Results of Public Legislation 119-21,” Aug. 11, 2025.
PolitiFact, “Newsom Championed Medicaid for Immigrants in California Illegally. Now He Needs To Lower It Again,” Could 16, 2025.
KFF, “Well being Provisions within the 2025 Federal Funds Reconciliation Invoice,” July 8, 2025.
KFF, “Potential Impacts of 2025 Funds Reconciliation on Well being Protection for Immigrant Households,” June 17, 2025.
KFF, “Key Information on Well being Protection of Immigrants,” Jan. 15, 2025.
KFF, “1.4 Million Lawfully Current Immigrants Are Anticipated To Lose Well being Protection Because of the 2025 Tax and Funds Legislation,” Sept. 25, 2025.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies, “Data for SAVE Customers: Cuban-Haitian Entrants,” accessed Oct. 1, 2025.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies, “Standing of Residents of the Freely Related States of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands Truth Sheet,” accessed Oct. 1, 2025.
Healthcare.gov, “Protection for Lawfully Current Immigrants,” accessed Oct. 1, 2025.
Federal Register, “Affected person Safety and Inexpensive Care Act; Market Integrity and Affordability,” June 25, 2025.
