NCS’s Jake Tapper confronted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Wednesday about Medicaid funding for “noncitizens,” because the Democratic lawmaker argued his occasion was making an attempt to avoid wasting healthcare.
Tapper requested Jeffries about the extension of Obamacare subsidies after the federal government shut down on Wednesday when Democrats and Republicans within the Senate failed to achieve a spending settlement earlier than the tip of fiscal 12 months 2025 on Sept. 30.
The NCS host mentioned Republicans “characterize it as you want to give health insurance to undocumented immigrants. I understand that’s not really an accurate depiction.” Jeffries responded, “It’s a lie.”
“It’s a lie, but what you support does bring back funding for emergency Medicaid to hospitals, some of which does pay for undocumented immigrants and people who don’t have health insurance. And also, there is this provision, and it’s not about undocumented immigrants. It’s about people with asylum seekers and people with temporary protected status, et cetera, et cetera, but about their ability to get Medicaid. So they’re noncitizens. They’re not undocumented. They’re not illegal. Why even include that in a bill, knowing that they’re going to seize right upon that and use that to message? I understand that when you retake the House, you can get whatever you want passed, but at this point?” Tapper requested.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks throughout a press convention on the U.S. Capitol Building on September 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Jeffries insisted Democrats had been preventing towards the “largest” cut to Medicaid ever, pointing to the Republican-backed “big, beautiful bill.”
“You’re talking about the subsidies again, but I’m talking about the noncitizens,” Tapper pushed again.
The House Minority chief argued once more that Democrats had been making an attempt to avoid wasting healthcare for 14 million Americans.
“Do you not think that the provisions that provide healthcare for noncitizens muddies that message?” Tapper pressed.
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U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks to the media subsequent to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on the White House in Washington, D.C., Sept. 29, 2025.
“No. You’re referring to emergency care that some states might administer based on state law. We’re talking about federal law. We don’t have the ability to change state law,” Jeffries mentioned.
Other Democrats have additionally balked on the Republicans’ argument that they had been making an attempt to offer healthcare to unlawful immigrants.
“It’s a complete, absolute, effing lie,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., mentioned Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
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Fox News’ Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.
Original article supply: Hakeem Jeffries confronted on NCS about Medicaid funding for ‘noncitizens’