--- title: Here Are the Facts About Why the Government Shut Down description: Republicans claim the government shutdown is due to Democrats demanding healthcare for illegal immigrants. Here are the facts. canonical: https://time.com/7322340/government-shutdown-immigrants-healthcare/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-10-01T18:56:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:21:21.080Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here Are the Facts About Why the Government Shut Down og:description: Republicans claim the government shutdown is due to Democrats demanding healthcare for illegal immigrants. og:url: https://time.com/7322340/government-shutdown-immigrants-healthcare/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6fa27579936202cf/6998ca4fe1ba008d8498df73/GettyImages-2237920282.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: House Dem Shutdown Rally og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here Are the Facts About Why the Government Shut Down twitter:description: Republicans claim the government shutdown is due to Democrats demanding healthcare for illegal immigrants. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6fa27579936202cf/6998ca4fe1ba008d8498df73/GettyImages-2237920282.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republicans Say Democrats Want to Give Healthcare to Illegal Immigrants. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Oct 1, 2025 6:56 PM UTC  A sign is seen before a rally with members of the Democratic caucus about how a government shutdown would negatively effect health care coverage, on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, September 30, 2025\. The deadline for making a deal to keep the government funded is midnight. A sign is seen before a rally with members of the Democratic caucus about how a government shutdown would negatively effect health care coverage, on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, September 30, 2025\. The deadline for making a deal to keep the government funded is midnight. Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Oct 1, 2025 6:56 PM UTC Almost immediately after the [government shutdown began](https://time.com/7322164/government-shutdown-begins-donald-trump/) on Wednesday, the Trump Administration filled the airwaves to spread a narrative that Democrats caused the gridlock by demanding free healthcare for “illegal aliens.” The shutdown came after the two parties failed to reach a resolution to a standoff over spending and healthcare policy, resulting in widespread furloughs of federal workers and the shutdown of numerous federal agencies. **Read More:** [_Republican and Democratic Lawmakers React to Government Shutdown as Blame Game Ensues_](https://time.com/7322235/government-shutdown-republican-democrat-lawmakers-react-blame-game/) The gap between the two parties is primarily due to a Democratic demand to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for low- and middle-income Americans, which are set to expire at the end of the year. But Republicans are eager to spread a different narrative. Here are the facts. ## **False** **Claims** The battle for the narrative during a shutdown is crucial to both parties, and who the [public blames can](https://time.com/7322235/government-shutdown-republican-democrat-lawmakers-react-blame-game/) determine how long it lasts. President Donald Trump’s leadership has maintained a standard message—that Democrats are looking to reinstate emergency healthcare to migrants in the U.S. without citizenship or green cards. Trump pushed this message last week on [Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115260643704742189) when he claimed that Democrats wanted to give “free healthcare” to immigrants, [demonizing many of them](https://time.com/7303350/demonizing-words-used-against-immigrants/) as “VIOLENT CRIMINALS.” After the shutdown began, Vice President JD Vance stepped into gear. “Democrats spent years giving taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal aliens and, as promised, President Trump put a stop to it,” [Vance said on X on Wednesday.](https://x.com/JDVance/status/1973376998274682983) “Now, Senate Democrats are shutting down the government and holding the economy hostage because they want to reinstate those benefits for illegal aliens.” **Read More:** [_A Government Shutdown Has Begun. Here’s How It Could Affect Your Life_](https://time.com/7320516/government-shutdown-impact-federal-workers-airports-parks-mail/) Trump’s White House Press Secretary [Karoline Leavitt ](https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2025/7318825/karoline-leavitt/)and his Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller have pushed similar narratives. “Senate Democrats are about to block a clean, routine government funding bill because it doesn’t give free healthcare to illegals,” [Miller wrote](https://x.com/StephenM/status/1972849869082780128?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1972849869082780128%7Ctwgr%5Ea0438325d3324cc66990d1bb4531799203369773%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Ffact-check-democrats-government-shutdown-illegal-immigrant-health-care-10806174), while Leavitt left nothing up for debate, [saying that ](https://x.com/PressSec/status/1973371659559248021)“Democrats shut down the federal government.” ## **The Facts** The Trump Administration’s central narrative is false. Although it is true that Democratic leadership is pushing back on the Republicans’ spending plan, the Democratic response does not include a demand for healthcare for immigrants without legal status. It does include a demand for [Medicaid](https://time.com/7298772/medicaid-big-beautiful-bill-health-insurance/) funding that was severely cut in Trump’s [“Big Beautiful Bill” ](https://time.com/7300177/trump-signs-big-beautiful-bill/)passed earlier this year, as well as funding for the Affordable Care Act. Read More: [_Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Put the ADA, and Americans with Disabilities, at Risk_](https://time.com/7305670/trumps-medicaid-cuts-americans-disabilities/) Democratic leadership is seeking Republican compromise on healthcare policy in their spending bill, asking for increased spending to continue Obamacare subsidies and to reverse the deep Medicaid cuts implemented in the domestic tax cut bill. Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for Obamacare benefits and Medicaid. Only those with “qualified” immigration status have access to Medicaid, which includes those with legal permanent residence status, refugees, asylees, and several other groups. This means that not only are undocumented immigrants ineligible for these programs, but many of those with legal status are also ineligible because they are not on the “qualified” list. The Democrats are asking to reverse a cut in funding for federal reimbursement hospitals can get for treating undocumented immigrants with an emergency medical condition, which they are required to do by law. Hospitals can be reimbursed by Medicaid for this emergency care, but comprehensive Medicaid coverage is not available to undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, according to the health policy [research nonprofit KFF](https://www.kff.org/quick-take/less-than-1-of-total-medicaid-spending-goes-to-emergency-care-for-noncitizen-immigrants/), less than 1% of total Medicaid spending was allocated to emergency Medicaid for undocumented immigrants in fiscal year 2023. Beyond this, Democrats are seemingly even more concerned about extending subsidies under The Affordable Care Act (ACA), as the government is receiving warnings that allowing ACA subsidies to expire at the end of the year could have immense ramifications, [kicking millions ](https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2024-12/59230-ARPA.pdf)of people off of their healthcare, skyrocketing out-of-pocket insurance premiums, and premiums across the health insurance market are to increase drastically. In 2025, [24 million individuals](https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/over-24-million-consumers-selected-affordable-health-coverage-aca-marketplace-2025#:~:text=The%20Centers%20for%20Medicare%20&%20Medicaid,millions%20of%20Americans%20remain%20covered.) obtained their insurance through the ACA marketplace, and nearly all (93%) of these individuals utilized subsidies to help cover costs, according to the [Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.](https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/five-key-changes-to-aca-marketplaces-amid-uncertainty-over-premium-tax-credit#:~:text=Nearly%20all%20marketplace%20enrollees%20%2893,viable%20pathway%20to%20affordable%20coverage.)They estimate that if Congress does not extend these subsidies, approximately 4 million people will lose their marketplace coverage and become uninsured. ## **Democrat Response** Democratic leadership has been clear in calling out the false narrative being pushed about healthcare for immigrants without legal status. Earlier this month, two Democratic leaders, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sen. Patty Murray, [put forth a budget proposal to extend ACA subsidies](https://democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/delauro-murray-introduce-bill-prevent-republican-shutdown), a proposal that did not include free healthcare for undocumented immigrants. “It's a total, absolute, F-ing lie,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told MSNBC on _Morning Joe_. “They're afraid of the truth. They know that what they've done to health care has decimated health care for so much of America -- 10s, 20s, 20 million Americans. And so, they're trying to hide the truth.” Senator Ruben Gallago, a Democrat from Arizona, reiterated Schumer's points, [writing on X ](https://x.com/RubenGallego/status/1973378839347712160)that Vance “hates” the ACA so much he would rather shut down the government and raise premiums of Americans.” He continued, “ACA tax credits don’t go to illegal immigrants.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7322340/government-shutdown-immigrants-healthcare/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7322340/government-shutdown-immigrants-healthcare/"},"headline":"Republicans Say Democrats Want to Give Healthcare to Illegal Immigrants. Here Are the Facts","datePublished":"2025-10-01T18:56:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:21:21.080Z","description":"Republicans claim the government shutdown is due to Democrats demanding healthcare for illegal immigrants. 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