Mike Johnson:
When we passed the One Big Beautiful Bill—the Work and Families Tax Cut—we had Medicaid reforms in the bill. You and I talked about it on the air. What we did was eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse.
There were a lot of people in the program who were enrolled but were never eligible to be there. Medicaid is intended for eligible U.S. citizens—not illegal aliens, not U.S. citizens who are able-bodied workers like young men.
We passed the law, this President signed it into law. Democrats voted against it, of course, and it’s been wildly successful.
The CBO—the Congressional Budget Office, which is the neutral arbiter of all these things—released a report a few weeks ago, earlier this month. They said, You know what? The bill has had its intended purpose. Premiums are coming down. Listen, because 2.3 million ineligible enrollees have been kicked off of Medicaid, which helps to save the program and prop it up, $185 billion has been saved already.
Kaitlan Collins:
Basically, what you did was narrow the eligibility for certain people to get access to the ACA subsidies. What they want to do is undo the changes that Republicans made in that. But basically, wouldn’t that only affect people who do have legal status—people who are refugee seekers here in the United States, asylum seekers here?
Mike Johnson:
Those are two totally different issues. Now, they’ve created this as a new argument as to why they should not keep the government open. But they’re arguing a December policy debate for a September funding issue. The subsidies that you’re talking about don’t expire until the end of December.
Kaitlan Collins:
No, the subsidies for just everyday Americans—that’s one thing that obviously has been the main premise of their argument. But you’re saying they want to give free health care to people who are in the United States illegally.
Mike Johnson:
That is exactly what the effect will be.
Kaitlan Collins:
But when I looked at it, there’s a little nuance. Because if they want to undo changes that you all made, narrowing who is eligible to get that, those are people who are refugee seekers, asylum seekers. They’re not technically people who are here illegally—just crossing the border.
Mike Johnson:
No, this is exactly what will happen. And Maxine Waters admitted—I think accidentally today on the House steps—that they want to give health care to everybody.
Kaitlan Collins:
But Maxine Waters is not in charge. She’s not the one. She didn’t write this proposal.
Mike Johnson:
She’s one of the senior leaders in the House… Everybody should Google it and read their counterproposal yourself.
Kaitlan Collins:
But you see my point, right? You’re making this argument that they want to just give health care to everyone who’s here illegally. This is not for people who cross the border and don’t have paperwork. These are people who have temporary protected status, right?
Mike Johnson:
No. Absolutely, what will happen if that counterproposal was enacted is illegal aliens would be paid for by American taxpayers—hard-earned dollars would be paying for benefits for illegal aliens again. We’re not doing that.
Kaitlan Collins:
But it’s against federal law for people who are here illegally to get health care.
Mike Johnson:
Yes, and that’s why our reforms are so important to enforce all that. The important thing to remember is what’s happening—
Kaitlan Collins:
I didn’t see that in the Democratic proposal, that people who are here illegally should get health care.
Mike Johnson:
No, because they don’t have the level of specification that we had in our bill. It will unwind that, and all those things that the CBO just verified will be reversed. We can’t afford to do that.
Kaitlan Collin:
But you see my point—that there’s nuance in the argument that you’re making, right?
Mike Johnson:
No, I don’t see your point. That is a red herring in this debate. What they’ve decided to do tonight with their vote is to close the government. And what that means—everybody needs to understand—is real pain for real Americans. What does that mean?
It means women, infants, and children do not get their nutrition programs. That is not funded anymore. Veterans don’t get their health care services, suicide prevention, and other very important things that are very timely.
You have low-income persons who are Medicaid and Medicare recipients who are receiving care at home. Those programs are now lapsed. They will not be funded.
Kaitlan Collins:
Yeah, you’re making a point about what happens if the government shuts down.
Mike Johnson:
That’s right. And they just decided to do it. So the only question tonight is: how long will Chuck Schumer keep the government closed? It’s a dangerous gambit.
It’s something that he himself said his entire political career would be dangerous and disastrous. Roll the tape. We’re rolling the greatest hits on our social media.
Kaitlan Collins:
I’m just saying that the point about giving people who are here illegally health care is not exactly what is in their proposal.
Mike Johnson:
It is 100% what their proposal is.
Kaitlan Collins:
It’s immigrants who have legal status, and you’re just… you’re running on who’s eligible. I looked at it, actually, because I was curious about your argument yesterday.
Mike Johnson:
You should study the CBO’s analysis that they just put out a few weeks ago.
Kaitlan Collins:
I saw that, about the 1.2 million people. You’re basically arguing about who has legal status—people who are seeking refuge here or seeking asylum.
Mike Johnson:
No, I’m making sure that we—we’re making sure in our provisions that we signed into law—that health care benefits go only to eligible U.S. citizens. Chuck Schumer’s proposal—
Kaitlan Collins:
But as is federal law.