WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated on Wednesday that Republicans do not intend to modify the law that mandates hospitals provide care to individuals facing medical emergencies, including undocumented immigrants.
His comments came after over a week of discussions among Republican figures regarding the notion of undocumented individuals accessing healthcare. Republicans argue that the Democrats’ proposed government-funding legislation would allocate hundreds of billions of dollars for “free healthcare for illegals,” a recurring theme in the arguments leading up to the government shutdown debate.
“Democrats are pushing to shut down the government entirely because they wish to allocate hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare benefits to illegal immigrants,” Vice President J.D. Vance declared on Sept. 28, prior to the shutdown commencing, during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
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John Wilkerson serves as a Washington correspondent for STAT and focuses on the political dimensions of healthcare. He also authors the twice-weekly D.C. Diagnosis newsletter.
