Vice President JD Vance took a shot at the media on Thursday for repeating “Democrat talking points” about illegal immigrants being unable to access Medicaid benefits during the government shutdown.
While Republicans accuse the opposing party of demanding free healthcare for illegal immigrants, Democrats insist they’re not trying to give healthcare benefits to noncitizens. Vance argues otherwise based on the language of their current government spending bill.
“This is important–money is fungible–and it’s why the Democrat and media lie that health care is not going to illegals is so preposterous,” he wrote on X. “Consider, for instance, two state Medicaid programs–Ohio and New York. New York gives Medicaid to illegals and Ohio doesn’t.”
The vice president goes on to say that when the federal government gives Medicaid benefits to New York, it allows the state to spend its own money on illegal immigrants. He compared this dynamic to giving money to a “mobster,” who promises he won’t spend the money for illicit purposes.
“Well, he takes the $100 you gave him and buys food, and then takes the money he would have spent on food and uses that money to buy the gun instead,” Vance said. “This is what ‘money is fungible’ means.”
He then criticized ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos and CNN’s Jake Tapper for engaging in the “Democrat propaganda war” on this issue amid the government shutdown, which he says the Democrats want.
“Democrats shut down the government to give health care money to illegal aliens. It’s really that simple,” Vance concluded.
LIVE UPDATES: CONGRESSIONAL STALEMATE CAUSES GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Permanently extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, was a major reason why Democrats rejected Republicans’ continuing resolution that would have funded the federal government through Nov. 21. Democrats, to no avail, are pushing their own measure that would fund the government through Oct. 31 and reverse $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid.
Both sides of the political spectrum blame the other for letting the government shutdown take effect after midnight on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether a mutual agreement can be made.
