AOC sidesteps questions on taxpayer healthcare for illegal immigrants
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., repeatedly dodged a question during a CNN town hall Wednesday night about whether she believes illegal immigrants should receive taxpayer-funded health care.
Ocasio-Cortez, who continues to generate buzz as a possible 2028 presidential contender or potential rival to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-Y., met with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to answer questions about the ongoing government shutdown. He appeared on stage with.
Jill Ireland, identified by CNN as a California Democrat who works in the insurance industry, offered a pre-recorded question: “Do you think taxpayers should pay for medical care for immigrants who are in the country illegally?”
Ocasio-Cortez responded by calling out what she described as a “pervasive lie” by Republicans accusing Democrats of shutting down the government to provide free healthcare to illegal immigrants.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-Y., slammed the “widespread lie” that Republicans are accusing Democrats of shutting down the government to provide taxpayer-funded health care to illegal immigrants. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“We already know that undocumented people are not covered under federal law and under federal law. [Affordable Care Act]They can’t get covered by Medicaid, they can’t get covered by Medicare. Period. It’s the law of the land. There are a lot of federal laws on the books now,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The “Squad” member then took aim at Vice President J.D. Vance, whom he accused of “trading on this other misconception” about claims that emergency Medicaid programs provide health care to illegal immigrants, calling it “completely fabricated storytelling.”
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“We actually have a federal law, as it should be, that anyone who goes to the hospital in desperate need of medical attention should receive that medical care, regardless of their insurance status and regardless of who they are,” he continued. “And I don’t know about you, but as a human being, I don’t want to live in a world where when a person gets hit by a car or is hospitalized, people in the emergency room ask for your insurance information or documentation before they save your life.”
Ocasio-Cortez is generating buzz ahead of a potential presidential run in 2028 or a primary challenge against Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in New York. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins then asked the Democrat if he thought providing taxpayer-funded health care to illegal immigrants “should be law.”
Ocasio-Cortez told Collins: “I personally believe that health care is a human right. I believe that everyone should be able to go to the doctor. But right now, I believe federal law is federal law.” “And you certainly know that U.S. citizens and the people who pay for our programs deserve to be covered by those programs. And once again, I believe the federal laws that are on the books are appropriate.”
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“But if you can choose, do you believe this should change?” Collins pressured the MP.
“Forgive?” Ocasio-Cortez reacted.
“If you could choose, do you believe federal law should be changed from this?” Collins repeated the question.
Avoiding a direct answer, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I don’t; I believe in a single-payer healthcare system; if you go to the hospital and need a doctor, you can get the medical attention you need.”
CNN host Kaitlan Collins pressed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-Y., on whether she would support taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants during the town hall. (Screenshot/CNN)
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