Mike Johnson, Fox News Host Jostle Over Whether Democrats Would Fund Healthcare for Illegals

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Fox’s John Roberts sparred Wednesday on “Special Report with Bret Baier” over whether Democrats’ reasoning for shutting down the federal government is to provide illegal immigrants with healthcare benefits.

On Tuesday evening, Republicans in the Senate failed to gain enough support from Democrats for a spending agreement, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer leading his party to shut down the government at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Roberts asked Johnson how he would respond to Democrats’ claims that their bill does not fund healthcare for illegal immigrants.

“I say they obviously have not read their bill. This counterproposal that he filed, everybody can Google it, go pull it up. It’s on the Senate’s website and in the legislative text,” Johnson said. “Go to page 57 of Chuck Schumer’s bill and look at section 2141. It says right there in plain language [that] they want to repeal the health provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

“I do part ways with you here on this idea of plain language. I read that whole section. It might as well be written in Mandarin,” Roberts pushed back.

During a Wednesday interview on “FOX & Friends,” Vice President JD Vance said Democrats are attempting to reinstate a Biden-era federal funding program that provides healthcare for illegal immigrants. The program ended under the Trump administration.

SOURCE: https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2025/10/01/mike-johnson-fox-news-host-jostle-over-whether-democrats-would-fund-healthcare-for-illegals/