SHUTDOWN
No, Democrats Are Not Demanding Free Healthcare for "Illegals"
In March 2025, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fully fund the government through September. Today, October 1, the government officially shut down at 12:00 a.m. after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on funding.
For days—especially yesterday, as a shutdown became increasingly likely—Republicans, conservative influencers, and trolls took to social media and did what they do best: blame Democrats. Even before the government shut down, they had branded it the “Democrat Shutdown” and the “Schumer Shutdown.”
Republicans clearly received the same talking points in their inbox because the common message being parroted across social media was that Democrats would shut down the government unless they got their way and millions of “illegals” received free healthcare.
“They want to have illegal aliens come into our country and get massive healthcare at the cost to everybody else, and we don’t have it. And that’s, I would say, the number one reason that they want to strike is to get illegal immigrants’ healthcare.”
– President Donald Trump
“The thing that will bankrupt this country more than any other policy is flooding the country with illegal immigration and then giving those migrants generous benefits.”
– Vice President J.D. Vance
“Schumer wants to ‘reinstate free healthcare for illegal aliens paid by American taxpayers’.”
- Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
The constant stream of outrage coming from Republicans, blaming Democrats for the shut down, is, of course, an effort to demonize them and place all blame on their shoulders. It’s also—all a lie.
Senator Chuck Schumer responded, perhaps in a strongly worded letter, saying: ‘They say that undocumented people are going to get these credits. That is absolutely false. That is one of the big lies that they tell.’”
The fact is, undocumented immigrants, as well as many of those with legal status, are ineligible for most federal benefits. “According to HealthCare.gov, U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals and lawfully present immigrants are eligible for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.” The website goes on to say that “Undocumented immigrants can’t get Marketplace health coverage. They may apply for coverage on behalf of documented individuals.”
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” – Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels
And this is what Republicans are counting on. As they did with the Big Lie following the 2020 election, they believe if they keep telling Americans that Democrats want “free healthcare for illegals,” people will believe it.
I don’t think Americans are that dumb. However, the media does a poor job pushing back against politicians who tell blatant lies. When interviewing Democrats, instead of calling out Republican falsehoods, hosts will frame questions that put them on the defensive. For example, they might ask, “J.D. Vance is accusing Democrats of shutting down the government and demanding free healthcare for illegal immigrants. How do you respond to the Vice President?”
Instead, hosts should call out the lies with questions like: “J.D. Vance has falsely accused Democrats of shutting down the government and demanding free healthcare for illegal immigrants. How do you respond to the Vice President?”
See the difference? The first question puts Democrats on defense, while the second one—offense.
So what are Democrats fighting for? Let’s put the shutdown into context.
Back in March, much to the chagrin of Democratic voters, Schumer and the Democrats voted in favor of the continuing resolution that expired at 12:00 a.m. this morning. As I said earlier, the CR fully funded the government through September, and kept spending largely at prior levels. This also meant the government was obligated to pay out congressionally approved funding.
But this didn’t happen. Instead, Republicans reneged and canceled billions of dollars in congressionally approved spending. Some of these cancellations were later determined by the Government Accountability Office to be illegal under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Nevertheless, the Trump administration submitted a pocket rescission—a budget tactic in which the president requests to rescind—or cancel—spending that Congress has already approved, but does so so late in the fiscal year that Congress doesn’t have time to act on it before the money automatically expires.
Pocket recissions are legal but especially controversial because they’re viewed by many as a workaround.
Why would Democrats vote in favor of another continuing resolution after being duped in March? Why would they vote in favor of a CR when they already know Republicans won’t hold up their end of the bargain?
Democrats aren’t asking Republicans to fund healthcare for undocumented migrants. They are fighting to prevent the healthcare costs of millions of Americans from skyrocketing—something they say will happen if the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits are allowed to expire. By passing the CR, millions of Americans will see a significant increase in their health insurance premiums.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), if “these enhanced tax credits are not renewed, average annual premiums for ACA marketplace enrollees could more than double—from $888 to $1,904—representing a 114% increase. This sharp rise is attributed to both the expiration of the subsidies and insurers’ proposed rate hikes averaging 18% for 2026.”
That’s what Democrats are fighting for. Affordable healthcare for Americans. While Republicans want tax breaks for the wealthy, Democrats just want Americans to be able to go to the doctor without draining their savings accounts.