Vice President J.D. Vance on Tuesday charged Democrats with using “sleight of hand” tactics in budget negotiations, accusing them of tying government funding to taxpayer-backed health benefits for undocumented immigrants.
In a video statement posted to X, Vance argued that Democrats are being dishonest by downplaying the connection between the ongoing shutdown and health care provisions for noncitizens. “There are two very specific ways — and you can look at the legislative text — two specific ways in which the Democrats are asking us to give taxpayer-funded health care benefits for illegal aliens,” he said.
Vance pointed to Biden-era programs that reimburse hospitals for treating undocumented immigrants, saying such measures drain resources from American citizens and saddle taxpayers with massive costs. He noted the Trump administration had eliminated those reimbursements in its “One Big Beautiful Bill,” but Democrats want them restored at a projected price tag of “hundreds of billions of dollars.”
He also highlighted Biden’s parole programs, which reclassified migrants as parolees, making them eligible for government benefits. “We turned that off as well,” Vance said. “Democrats want to turn it back on.”
Framing the dispute as a standoff, Vance accused Democrats of “holding the government hostage” by conditioning federal funding — including military paychecks — on restoring those programs. “It’s not just bad policy,” he said. “We are not going to negotiate while being held hostage.”
He urged Democrats to back the Republican continuing resolution, which would reopen the government without the contested provisions. “Turn the government back on, and then we can have a debate about health care policy,” Vance said.
The issue gained sharper focus in a CNN interview when host Jake Tapper pressed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) about the Democratic proposal. While Jeffries initially denied the GOP claims, Tapper pointed to specific language reinstating emergency Medicaid reimbursements for hospitals treating undocumented immigrants and extending benefits to asylum seekers and individuals with temporary protected status. Jeffries did not directly respond to the challenge.
Republicans maintain the evidence is clear. “It’s in writing,” Vance stressed. “It’s not a talking point. It is in the text of the bill that they initially gave to us to reopen the government.”
Critics counter that Democrats are inflating the urgency, noting the contested provisions don’t expire until next year. “That premium support program doesn’t even expire until next year,” Vance said. “So why are you shutting down the government on Oct. 1 because of a program that doesn’t even expire for another few months?”
The White House and GOP leaders say they are open to a debate on health care policy but insist that Democrats must first pass a “clean” funding bill. Meanwhile, with the shutdown entering its first week, federal agencies brace for furloughs, and ICE agents along with other federal officers continue working without pay.
