The shutdown is not about healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

Thursday, October 2, 2025

What happened? The federal government is currently shut down, as the two parties could not reach an agreement about funding the work of government. 750,000 Americans — including some I dearly love and might be reading this — are on unpaid leave until an agreement is reached. (And, sure, they will be paid when the government re-opens, but they have rent and bills and mortgages to pay in the meantime.) White House leaders are saying some of them might be fired (which is almost certainly illegal). I’m not here to tell you who to blame or how to fix it (though I certainly have FEELINGS about it), but I do want to address one bit of misinformation flying around.

Vice President JD Vance said Democrats “want to shut the government because we won’t give billions of dollars in healthcare funding for illegal aliens”. (BBC)

This is simply untrue. Democrats are pushing to make sure that current health insurance subsidies that currently exist under the Affordable Care Act are extended into the future.¹ And let me be clear: the law already says that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for government-subsidized health insurance. Even many folks with legal immigration statuses aren’t eligible for Medicaid. I do not say this to defend the Democratic establishment, but to push back on the narratives that undocumented immigrants are taking something.

Undocumented immigrants are able to receive treatment in the emergency room of a hospital. They still receive a bill. And as followers of Jesus, surely we cannot support anyone saying that emergency care should be taken away.

Jose Luis Magana/AP

How can I pray? Pray for the federal workers being placed on unpaid leave. Pray for your Member of Congress — that they will not share lies, no matter how politically convenient it is. Pray for our immigrant neighbors being used as scapegoats in this dispute. Pray for courage to speak truth when you hear misinformation in your own circles.

What is one more thing I can do? When you hear someone repeat the claim that the government shut down over healthcare for ‘illegal immigrants,’ gently correct the record. You can try something like: “I looked into that—federal law already prohibits undocumented immigrants from getting these subsidies.” Speaking truth in our own circles matters.

1. I know I should stay in my immigration lane, but for what it’s worth, I think they have good reason to fight for this. Without them, health insurance premiums will soar. This quote from the New York Times was striking: “a 55-year-old couple making $85,000 annually could see their health insurance cost more than triple, to $24,535 a year. Obviously that’s unaffordable, which is why so many will drop coverage.”