Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is introducing legislation that would stop the Biden administration from giving medical resources to illegal immigrants who he says are keeping the Department of Veterans Affairs from being able to assist veterans who need them.
When illegal immigrants in detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement need to be seen by a medical specialist, ICE contracts with the VA’s Financial Services Center to reimburse independent private providers for their services. The No VA Resources for Illegal Aliens Act would put an end to the VA and ICE agreement so no VA healthcare resources would be used for ICE detainees.
“[Biden’s] decided, OK, we’ve got to feed all these 10 million people we’ve let come across the border, we’ve got to house them, and we’ve got to give them healthcare,” Tuberville said in a recent interview with Fox News. “They’ve opened up care from the doctors in these [VA] community care systems. The lines now in the VAs are getting longer. Our funds that are supposed to go to the veterans are going to these illegal immigrants that are coming across.”
VA press secretary Terrence Hayes told the Washington Examiner last month that the department doesn’t fund medical services for ICE detainees. Nevertheless, with several Democrats up for reelection, Tuberville said he is hoping the bill will garner bipartisan support ahead of the 2024 election.
The bill was proposed alongside Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“Joe Biden’s failed border policies have created a humanitarian and national security crisis. Now it appears he’s taking resources away from our veterans to facilitate healthcare for illegal migrants,” Bost said in a statement. “I’ve demanded answers from the Biden administration and been stonewalled every step of the way.”
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While Tuberville said the community systems had shortened wait times, he also said the VA had already been having challenges with providing resources and care for the 19 million veterans in the United States, and now he says veterans are experiencing longer wait times to receive their resources as a direct result of the border “disaster.”
“I think we’ve got a great opportunity to get this, maybe not to a vote, but at least where we discuss it on the floor, where the American people start to understand it,” Tuberville said. “An election year is a great year to try to get some kind of bipartisan help on any type of bill, especially when it comes to the veterans. That means so much to us here in our country.”
