Politics

CNN Panelists Clash Over Federal Funding For Illegal Immigrants

Rep. Buddy Carter in 2024 (Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America / Wikimedia Commons)

Republican Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter and Democratic Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell clashed Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” over whether federal funds are being used for illegal immigrants’ healthcare.

Since the government shutdown began Wednesday, Democrats denied Republican accusations that they are blocking the GOP-led bill in order to provide healthcare for illegal immigrants. Citing a poll by The Washington Post showing 47% of voters hold Congressional Republicans more responsible for the shutdown, CNN host Jake Tapper asked Carter for his response to Americans “blaming you guys.”

“Well, and they shouldn’t be, because this is clearly the ‘Schumer Shutdown.’ This is a shutdown that the Democrats instigated, all in the name of trying to get healthcare for illegals,” Carter said.

“If you say they’re not trying to do that, that is erroneous. They are wanting to reverse what we did in the Working Families Tax Act. What we did was to make sure that illegals are not going to get Medicaid — ” Carter added before Tapper jumped in.

Tapper noted the availability of receiving Medicaid in a hospital would be limited to emergencies, with which Carter agreed. Dingell, however, pushed back on the Republican lawmaker’s argument, asking if he was suggesting someone who is dying shouldn’t receive care.

“If someone’s dying, they shouldn’t be able to get medical care. Is that what we’re saying?” Dingell asked. “The only thing it allows is if someone is in bad shape and they go to an emergency room, but they are not covered by Medicaid, they are not covered by Medicare already in the law.”

“The Supreme Court has already ruled on that, and we know we have to do that. But the point here is you’re trying to reverse what we did — ” Carter responded as Dingell interjected.

Under the Reagan administration, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) was signed into law requiring hospitals that accept Medicare to provide emergency medical treatment to individuals regardless of their ability to pay or legal status.

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“It’s a Sunday!” Dingell snapped back. “What does the Bible teach us? ‘When I was sick, you took care of me.’ You’re going to deny someone dying health care?”

“No, we can’t do that. The Supreme Court has ruled on that,” Carter said.

Despite Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer denying that Democrats are trying to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly cited specific legislative text supporting his party’s claims in multiple interviews.

During a Wednesday appearance on Fox News’s “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Johnson urged viewers to check “page 57 of Chuck Schumer’s bill and look at section 2141.”

In the Democrats’ proposed continuing resolution, Section 2141, titled, “REPEAL OF HEALTH SUBTITLE CHANGES,” seeks to repeal the “One Big, Beautiful Bill’s” Title VII, Section B. That section pertains to Medicare and efforts to curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the system, including the restriction of “Alien Medicaid eligibility” in Sec. 71109.

While Democrats have continued to call the accusations false, media pundits such as Fox’s Kennedy highlighted that in states such as California — which has extended Medi-Cal to illegal immigrants — the federal government does fund a portion “because Medi-Cal is funded by Medicaid.”

In March, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested state lawmakers provide a $2.8 billion loan to help cover the program’s expenses, in addition to the $3.4 billion loan his administration borrowed to cover Medi-Cal payments.

The Trump administration has been aware of illegal immigrants being on Medicaid as early as June 2025. Officials had provided deportation officers with information related to millions of Medicaid enrollees to aid in enforcement efforts. The data included individuals living in areas that allow illegal migrants to enroll in their Medicaid programs, which includes California, Washington, D.C., Illinois, and Washington state.