Republican lawmakers in Congress have strongly criticized the Biden Administration following the revelation on Friday that taxpayer-funded healthcare through Obamacare exchanges will be extended to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
In exclusive statements to the Daily Caller, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, and Oklahoma Representative Josh Brecheen condemned the decision, arguing that it unfairly disadvantages U.S. citizens.
“There’s an unprecedented crisis at our southern border, we’ve got major conflicts around the world, and families all across Ohio are getting crushed by inflation. Joe Biden’s response to all this is to give your hard-earned money away to illegal immigrants in the form of taxpayer-funded healthcare. This is a slap in the face to every hardworking American who plays by the rules, and it would never happen if Donald Trump were president,” Vance told the Caller.
In July, Vance and a group of House Republicans penned a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, urging the agency to prevent illegal immigrants from accessing Obamacare. The lawmakers criticized the Biden Administration for proposing a rule that would expand the definition of “lawfully present” in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to include DACA beneficiaries.
“Joe Biden, once again, is putting working Americans last and continues to incentivize more illegal immigration into the country. It’s a shameful pattern that’s becoming the legacy of his presidency,” Hawley stated.
The Biden administration announced on Friday that it had finalized a rule allowing thousands of illegal immigrants covered under DACA to access Obamacare. The modified definition of “lawfully present” will now enable over 100,000 DACA recipients to obtain health insurance, as reported by the Washington Post.
“President Biden has allowed more than nine million illegal aliens to invade our country and now he wants illegals to receive Obamacare benefits in a brazen attempt to buy votes. Last July, Senator Vance and I introduced the No Obamacare for Illegal Aliens Act, which would undo this misguided rule that is expected to cost the American taxpayer more than $100 million in the first year alone. We are more than $34 trillion in debt and inflation is crushing American families. The last thing Americans want is to be forced to cover the cost of healthcare for illegal immigrants,” Brecheen remarked.
During the Democratic presidential primary, Joe Biden and all other candidates pledged to extend taxpayer-funded healthcare coverage to illegal immigrants.
