GOP misleads with claim that Democrats shut down to give health care to 'illegal immigrants'

Republicans argue that Democrats shut down the government to provide free health care to undocumented immigrants. Here are the facts.

WASHINGTON — With the government shut down, Republicans are centering their message on a simple argument: “Democrats are grinding America to a halt in order to give illegal immigrants free health care.”

That message, from a new ad from the National Republican Congressional Committee, has been echoed by GOP lawmakers and the Trump administration in recent days.

Vice President JD Vance claimed on Fox News that the GOP's “big beautiful bill” turned off health funding for “illegal aliens.”

“Democrats want to turn it back on,” he said. “It’s not something that we made up. It’s not a talking point. It is in the text of the bill that they initially gave to us to reopen the government.”

Republican lawmakers point blame at Democrats on first day of government shutdown04:27U.S. law already prohibits unauthorized immigrants from gaining any federally subsidized health care coverage — through Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or otherwise. A 1996 statute established that.