GOP blames government shutdown on health care for undocumented people. That's false

GOP blames government shutdown on health care for undocumented people. That's false

Scott Neuman

October 03, 2025 / 11:02 am

The White House and congressional Republicans say that Democratic lawmakers caused the federal government shutdown as part of an effort to extend health care benefits to undocumented immigrants. However, as several independent experts interviewed by NPR note, that claim is false.

At the center of the standoff is the Trump administration's Working Families Tax Cut Act, also known as President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," signed into law in July.

Democrats say it amounts to tax breaks for billionaires and pays for them with deep Medicaid cuts. The White House insists the law protects taxpayers by preventing undocumented immigrants from getting government he