The deepening political blame game over the ongoing government shutdown reached CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, where Republican Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia and Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan reportedly clashed over whether Democrats are pushing to expand healthcare coverage for illegal immigrants using federal funds.
Since the shutdown began Wednesday, Democrats have denied Republican accusations that they are blocking a GOP-led spending bill to secure healthcare benefits for migrants in the country illegally. But Carter, echoing House and Senate GOP leaders, argued that the facts — and the legislation — tell a different story.
“This is clearly the ‘Schumer Shutdown,’” Carter told host Jake Tapper, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “This is a shutdown that the Democrats instigated, all in the name of trying to get healthcare for illegals.”
Carter said the GOP’s Working Families Tax Act ensured “illegals are not going to get Medicaid,” and accused Democrats of trying to roll back those restrictions. “If you say they’re not trying to do that, that is erroneous,” he said.
Tapper interjected to note that hospitals are already required to provide emergency medical treatment regardless of a patient’s legal status, citing longstanding law. Carter agreed that emergency care would still be available but emphasized that Democrats’ proposal went well beyond that.
Dingell quickly pushed back, framing Carter’s stance as heartless. “If someone’s dying, they shouldn’t be able to get medical care — is that what we’re saying?” she asked. “What does the Bible teach us? ‘When I was sick, you took care of me.’ You’re going to deny someone dying health care?”
Carter rejected the charge, responding, “No, we can’t do that. The Supreme Court has ruled on that.” He noted that emergency care requirements were established under President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) — a law that ensures hospitals accepting Medicare provide emergency care regardless of legal status or ability to pay.
Still, Carter maintained that Democrats are seeking to undo key safeguards Republicans implemented to prevent misuse of taxpayer-funded healthcare.
The dispute centers on Section 2141 of the Democrats’ proposed continuing resolution, titled “Repeal of Health Subtitle Changes.” According to House Speaker Mike Johnson, that section would repeal portions of the GOP’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” including Title VII, Section B, which restricts “Alien Medicaid eligibility.”
During an interview on Fox News’s Special Report, Johnson urged Americans to “check page 57 of Chuck Schumer’s bill” to see the language for themselves. “They’re trying to remove restrictions that prevent illegal aliens from receiving Medicaid benefits,” Johnson said.
While Schumer and other Democrats have called the GOP’s accusations false, state-level programs tell a different story, Republicans say. In California, for example, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded Medi-Cal — the state’s Medicaid program — to cover illegal immigrants. Because Medi-Cal is partly federally funded, the federal government contributes to those costs.
In March, Newsom requested a $2.8 billion loan to help cover Medi-Cal’s growing expenses, on top of a $3.4 billion loan his administration previously used for the same program.
The Trump administration had already raised concerns about the issue as early as June 2025, when immigration officials were given access to Medicaid enrollee data to identify illegal immigrants enrolled in programs in states like California, Illinois, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
For Republicans, the debate underscores what they see as a broader problem: Democrats prioritizing benefits for noncitizens while American taxpayers foot the bill. As Carter put it, “This isn’t about denying care to the sick — it’s about defending fairness and protecting the integrity of our healthcare system.”
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