Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (AOC) latest remarks on illegal immigrant healthcare are stirring fresh controversy amid a heated budget standoff in Washington. During a CNN town hall last week, the New York Democrat was asked if illegal migrants should have access to federally funded health care.
“I believe, personally, that health care is a human right,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I believe that every person should be able to go to the doctor.” She added that U.S. citizens and those who “pay into our programs deserve to be covered by these programs,” but still called the existing federal law that bans taxpayer-funded care for illegal migrants “appropriate.”
Pressed on whether she supports changing that law, Ocasio-Cortez doubled down: “I believe in a single-payer health care system, where if you go in and need a doctor, you can get the medical attention that you need.”
Her comments come as Democrats face mounting criticism for allegedly pushing to expand health coverage to illegal migrants amid the government shutdown fight. Republicans accuse Democrats of holding up funding to secure Medicaid reimbursements that would pay for emergency treatments for those in the country illegally.
Ocasio-Cortez earlier insisted it’s “totally false” that Democrats are risking a shutdown over benefits for illegal immigrants, but Republican leaders say otherwise, pointing to language in Democratic budget proposals expanding federal subsidies.
The exchange underscores a widening partisan divide on immigration and healthcare — one that could shape the outcome of both the shutdown battle and the 2026 elections.
