Republicans are claiming Democrats shut down the government "to demand free health care for illegals."

But is it true?

The United States government ground to a halt at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1, after Congress failed to reach a deal to fund the federal budget.

House Speaker Mike Johnson , a Louisiana Republican, told CNBC on the morning of the Oct. 1 shutdown that Democrats "want to restore taxpayer funded benefits, American taxpayer funded benefits to illegal aliens."

"We're not doing that," he added.

But that's not what Democrats are demanding at all.

Democrats say they're fighting to restore Medicaid benefits that were cut in President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful" tax and budget bill, which he signed into law in July.

The morning of after the shutdown began, Senate minority lea

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