This episode dives deep into the federal government shutdown, examining the core disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over funding health care for undocumented immigrants. As political tensions rise, we reflect on significant moments like the 2019 Democratic presidential debate where the stance on healthcare was made clear. The episode also features key political figures offering their perspectives, including insights on how various states navigate healthcare provisions for undocumented immigrants.
From director Sean McNamara comes Soul on Fire, based on a true story. They said you had no chance, but here you are. Starring Joel Courtney, John Corbett, Stephanie Shostak, Macy McLean, with Devon Franklin and William H. Macy.
SPEAKER 01 :
If you focus exactly on loving the life that you’re living right now, and not the life that you think you could have had or should have had, that’s a whole deal right there.
SPEAKER 09 :
Soul on Fire. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. In theaters this Friday. For tickets, go to soulonfiremovie.com. Soul!
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From the wild world of D.C. politics to America’s culture clash, brace yourself for the reality check you’ve been waiting for. The one and only Mike Gallagher Show. Sitting in for Mike today, here’s Joey Hudson.
SPEAKER 06 :
Welcome in on this Friday. We made it. Three days of the government shutdown and we’re still here. We’re surviving. As the federal government shutdown rolls into another day, one of the biggest flashpoints, of course, on the whole shutdown has been over the issue of health care for illegals. We’ve talked about it all week long, health care for the illegals. Are you tired of hearing that? But that’s the center point of what is happening with the Democrats. That’s what this is all about. Now, Democrats are saying that Republicans are lying, that the Trump administration is lying about their intentions, that they’re really not shutting the government down because they’re not proposing that we provide health care for illegals. But their previous actions show otherwise. And even some of their current comments this week has shown otherwise. Yesterday, I shared with you which has gone viral, by the way, of the 2019 Democrat presidential primary debate. And there were, what, 12, 14 Democrats in the mix at that time. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, a whole list of them. And at the time, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie asked each of the candidates, do you support providing healthcare to illegals. And guess what? Every single one of them did not hesitate. They raised their hands. I think we need to go back just to review this. Guys, let’s show, for those of you watching on the Salem News Channel, and I hope you are, let’s go back and show this. Let’s show the Democrats actually going on record as supporting healthcare for illegals. Here’s the clip.
SPEAKER 13 :
Raise your hand if your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.
SPEAKER 06 :
Every single one of them raised their hand. A stage full of Democrat presidential hopefuls. Now, former Democrat Senator Al Franken tried to fact check Vice President J.D. Vance this week as the Vice President has been out there promoting the Trump administration and what they plan to do. Franken called them ignorant. for saying that Democrats want to fund health care for illegals. But users quickly reminded him of this 2019 debate. And again, that little clip has gone viral. Millions and millions of people have watched that clip this week and been reminded that the Democrat candidates for president just a few years ago wanted health care for illegals. Now, one of their arguments has been, well, we really don’t want to do that, but some states may actually do that. The Democrats are kind of correct in that illegals cannot buy insurance through Obamacare. That is a correct statement. But they’ve found a way and in the round, if you will— And states like California, New York, Illinois, some of the bigger states, some of the blue states, have taken federal dollars and, in an end around, been able to provide health care to illegals in other ways. In fact, California, let me remind you, was hit with a federal audit recommending that they pay back $52 million. that they had improperly claimed for individuals that had unsatisfactory immigration status, meaning they were here illegally. That’s why Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders this week have been repeating the message over and over again, saying Democrats pushed For the shutdown, they’re pushing because they want health care for illegals. I don’t care what the Democrats say. I don’t care what comes out of their mouth now that the American people are holding their feet to the fire. This was the reason that we shut things down this week. Speaker Johnson saying Democrats push to extend Obamacare subsidies could open the door again to funding programs that benefit those here illegally. He posted this on X saying some Democrats now claim they don’t want illegal immigrants on Medicaid, but their previous votes and the language in their current bill says otherwise. Now, the problem that the Democrats are having is they can’t control their messaging. They’re not all on the same page with what they say. It’s like herding cats. They have so many radicals in their party who are going off on their own saying what they want to say that they’re not unified in their message. Let me give you an example. Longtime Representative Maxine Waters struck again this week. She acknowledged yesterday that her party forced the government into a shutdown on Wednesday in order to secure health care for everybody. That’s a direct quote, health care for everybody. Now, one would assume that everybody means illegals as well, wouldn’t you? Waters, the 87-year-old Democrat congressman, was questioned outside of the U.S. Capitol when she was at a news conference rallying for the Democrats, and this was just prior to the shutdown. Here’s the exchange as a reporter is asking Maxine Waters whether or not this would include health care for illegals.
SPEAKER 19 :
Are Democrats demanding health care for illegal aliens?
SPEAKER 17 :
Democrats are demanding health care for everybody. We want to save lives. We want to make sure that health care is available to those who would die but having the help of their government.
SPEAKER 18 :
So you’re good with a government shutdown, even if it means giving health care to people who aren’t Americans?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, you keep—that’s what you’re pushing on. What you’re trying to do is you’re standing here and you’re trying to make me say that somehow we’re going to put noncitizens over Americans. Quit it. Stop it. This is the kind of journalism we don’t need. You’re divisive. No, you’re not. You’re being divisive. No, please. You don’t need to ask that question. You’re just trying to get controversy here. You’re not going to get it from me.
SPEAKER 06 :
Maxine, she didn’t like the question, did she? It was a valid question. It was a simple question. Madam Congresswoman, are you supporting, is your party supporting Healthcare for illegals. She didn’t want to answer it. She realized she’d gotten herself into a corner. Because the Democrats, they never want to tell the truth. There’s always an ulterior motive between anything that they do. There’s something that they’re after that they just don’t want to tell you about. They never want to come forward and say, here’s what we really want. They’re always doing an end around, just like I mentioned a minute ago in California, New York, and some of the other blue states where they provide the money in a different way. Maxine Waters kind of summed up their real stance, though. They want health care for everybody, and everybody equals illegal immigrants. You agree? 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453. It is Friday. You know what we do on Fridays when I’m sitting in the chair? Free speech Friday. Whatever’s on your mind, I’m all ears on this Friday edition of the Mike Gallagher Show.
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From the wild world of D.C. politics to America’s culture clash, brace yourself for the reality check you’ve been waiting for. The one and only Mike Gallagher Show. Sitting in for Mike today, here’s Joey Hudson.
SPEAKER 06 :
Welcome in on this Friday. Glad to have you join me for a few minutes of your day today. 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453 is how you join the conversation, and I hope you will. You can call. Alex will put you in queue. We’ll talk as time permits. Send me a quick note on the My Fellow message line. Emails are welcome. Joey at joeyhudson.com. So as we head into the weekend, of course, the big news this week has been the federal shutdown. Have you missed our federal government? My mom called me yesterday, Nana Hudson, and she said, is the government still closed? Yes, mother, it is. She’s 87 years old and doesn’t really pay a lot of attention necessarily to things like this. She says, well, how does that affect me? And I said, well, mother, have you noticed anything different? Well, no, I haven’t. I said, well, I guess it’s not affecting you now. And, of course, the big thing with her is, am I going to get my Social Security check? And, yes, mother, you will. So has the shutdown affected you in any way? Have you noticed that the federal government has been closed this week? Probably not. As we roll into another day and as we head into the weekend, Democrats are just really floundering. I don’t think it’s going exactly the way Chuck Schumer thought it would when he decided to let the government close Democrats. in order to get illegals health care because they can’t quite get their messaging right. They have so many radical members of the Democrat caucus that Schumer has no control over what they’re saying. Schumer’s trying to convince people, well, no, it’s really not about health insurance for illegals, but yet you’ve got Maxine Waters out there saying, well, yeah, we want health insurance for everybody. I would assume when you say everybody, you mean illegals, right? And then you have others. You have like the minority leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries, being called out by CNN, Jake Tapper of all people, when he’s trying to say, well, no, this is not about health insurance. And Jake Tapper says, well, yes, it is, and here’s why. And one of the viral video moments of the week has been the video that we shared with you here on the Mike Gallagher Show yesterday. We pulled it out of the archives back in 2019. It was during a Democrat presidential debate when you had a long list of Democrats running. Joe Biden, of course, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg. You had a whole list of them. And they were asked questions. And I think I’m going to, let’s pull this one back out, guys, because I want those of you watching us on the Salem News Channel, I want to show it to you one more time. You had every single Democrat on that stage when Savannah Guthrie of NBC asked the question, raise your hand if your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants. Here’s the response.
SPEAKER 13 :
Raise your hand if your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, for those of you watching on the Salem News Channel, you saw every single one of them raise their hand. For those of you listening on the radio, on the Salem Radio Network, take my word for it, they all raised their hand. Because that’s what they believe, folks. They believe that, as Maxine Waters said, everybody should get free health insurance. So let’s go to Maxine here, 87-year-old congresswoman who’s really feisty, as you know. And she acknowledged that her party forced the government into this shutdown this week to secure health care for everybody. Here’s Maxine Waters outside of the Capitol.
SPEAKER 19 :
Are Democrats demanding health care for illegal aliens?
SPEAKER 17 :
Democrats are demanding health care for everybody. We want to save lives. We want to make sure that health care is available to those who would die but having the help of their government.
SPEAKER 18 :
So you’re good with a government shutdown, even if it means giving health care to people who aren’t American citizens?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, you keep—that’s what you’re pushing on. What you’re trying to do is you’re standing here and you’re trying to make me say that somehow we’re going to put noncitizens over Americans. Quit it. Stop it. This is the kind of journalism we don’t need. You’re divisive. No, you’re not. You’re being divisive. No, please. You don’t need to ask that question. You’re just trying to get controversy here. You’re not going to get it from me.
SPEAKER 06 :
Oh, no, no, no. We’re not going to get controversy from Maxine Waters. By the way, that reporter was from Lindell TV asking the question. It was a legitimate question. You think she was trying to trap Maxine Waters? There was either a yes or no answer to it. And the answer is yes. You are trying to get health care for illegals. It’s just that simple. After this exchange earlier this week, President Trump posted on True Social, Maxine Waters admitted that she’s demanding health care for illegal aliens, and it’s going to be the top of the line taking American taxpayers’ health care away from them. And that’s the thing, too, that we have to think about. I think Senator Josh Hawley made a good point. In cut number five, when he talked about the fact, and asked the question, would you rather deny health care to our veterans than deny health care to illegals? Here’s Senator Hawley.
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s in the Senate Democrats’ own bill that they’ve already voted for twice this week, Sean. They’re going to vote for it again tomorrow. Here’s what it does. It says all of the rules prohibiting Medicaid and other funding from going to illegals that Donald Trump just signed into law earlier this year will be repealed. So that means that the illegals can get right back on the state Medicaid rolls, right back on the state health care rolls. They know it. They want it. This is what Democrats want to spend money on. And get this. They would rather deny pay to our military service men and women. They would rather deny health care to our veterans than deny health care to illegals. They want to give money to illegals so bad they will shut down the entire government to do it. Sean, it’s crazy. It’s absolutely nuts.
SPEAKER 06 :
And to follow up with that, Reince Priebus, the former RNC chair, made a very good point, too, on the Fox News Channel this week. Here’s Reince Priebus.
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give you the background. First of all, theoretically, years ago, yes, if you’re a legal immigrant, theoretically, you shouldn’t be eligible for Medicare, Medicaid under the system. But what happened was Obama and Biden, especially during Obamacare, they granted illegal immigrants a kind of fake special health care kind of status. And so the Republicans took took that little exemption away in the bill that they passed in July. The Democrats are using this CR to try to bring it back. And let me explain two ways that it works. We all know that every state has a Medicaid and Medicare exchange. And so what happens is, is that these states, especially states like New York, they grant illegal immigrants special status. You call it like a sanctuary status into the exchange. And so then what happens is, The illegal immigrant gets into the exchange, they get the Medicaid or the Obamacare in the exchange, and then the states get reimbursed from the federal government. You’ve heard all summer about senators complaining about the reimbursement rates back to states and hospitals. So that’s what they do. They wash all of this money away through the federal reimbursement rate. The other way that this works… If you go to an emergency room, so if an illegal immigrant goes into the emergency room and they get treated, then what happens is the hospital goes back to the federal government and gets what’s called an emergency Medicaid payment through a special exchange. And by the way, that reimbursement is at an amount much higher than the the actual amount that you or I would pay or our insurance company would pay if we were to go into the emergency room. So I think it’s really important for Republicans to start using real-life examples of how this works, because otherwise, as you see, the mainstream media will just say, well, you’re just lying about this. It’s not true. But it is true, and it happens all the time, which is why we were fighting all summer about reimbursement rates back to hospitals and states
SPEAKER 06 :
That’s a very good point, and we need to remember that because quite often this week we’ve heard Democrats say, well, we’re really not giving them. Illegals cannot get Obamacare. That’s correct. But let me ask you, how many times have you been to an emergency room and the room was full of what appeared to be illegals because they used that as their primary care? Those hospitals are getting reimbursed. So, yes, we’re giving them free health care. 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453. I’m Joey Hudson, in for Mike. Hope you’ll join the conversation today.
SPEAKER 08 :
Every single day, it’s a joy to remind you that portions of our show are sponsored by MyPillow. As you know, our friend Mike Lindell, big legal victory last week. He’s been in a ton of hot water, as you know, because he believes in election integrity, of course, due to his friendship with President Trump. Well, last week, there was a $5 million judgment against Mike that was overturned by the courts. Good news for MyPillow. So you keep praying for MyPillow, and you keep supporting this great American company. The premium MyPillow, limited time, great price, $18.98. If you go to MyPillow.com, this pillow is a godsend. Look, I bring the MyPillow products with me when I’m on the road. Here at the hotel in Washington State, I’ve got the MySlippers with me, those unbelievable slippers, because I pat around in the hotel room. I don’t know what’s on that rug. I bring the MyPillow with me. I roll it up into the suitcase. I’ve even got my MyPillow loungewear. Tons of great products. If you haven’t been to the site in a while, go check it out. Go to MyPillow.com. Look for the Mike Gallagher specials. Click on that box. And with anything you order, enter the promo code MikeG. And you’re going to save big. The slippers, the doggy beds. And the Giza Dream Sheets? MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG. MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG. Or call 800-928-6034. 800-928-6034. Like we love to sing.
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SPEAKER 14 :
The Mike Gallagher Show on Salem News Channel and the Salem Radio Network.
SPEAKER 02 :
I want to be clear that, like, law enforcement isn’t to prevent crime. Law enforcement solves crime, okay? That is what they are supposed to do. They are supposed to solve crimes, not necessarily prevent them from happening, per se.
SPEAKER 14 :
In the relieffactor.com studios, here’s Mike Gallagher.
SPEAKER 06 :
Texter on the MyPillow text line. I only heard one comment all weekend about the shutdown last night. A friend told me how saddened her daughter was after the wedding ceremony in St. Louis. They would not be able to take photographs by the arch. I was unaware that it’s considered a national park and will be closed for their wedding pictures. Boo-hoo. You know, I haven’t had many people who’ve had issues with the shutdown. There’s a theory here that… that some people, that’s why the Democrats are so opposed to the shutdown, because they’ll realize that people, Americans, just don’t miss the government. It doesn’t necessarily affect our lives day to day. Now, if they stop sending checks and they stop providing Medicare services, that’s another thing. But the average day to day, maybe you call an agency you need help and it takes them longer to answer or they don’t answer at all. But overall, I’m not sure a lot of people actually could tell that the government has been shut down these last few days. 800-655-6453. Joey Hudson in for Mike today. Today is Friday, and I love to do Free Speech Friday on Fridays. whatever’s on your mind, I’m all ears today. So 800-655-6453 is how your voice is heard. We’re going to go to Iowa where Todd is waiting. Welcome, Todd. You’re on the Mike Gallagher show.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hey, Joey. How you doing?
SPEAKER 06 :
I’m wonderful.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hey, I think it’s time that Donald J. Trump and a lot of these Republican governors, um, get, have a, have a, um, like at the fireside room and have an, um, uh, face to the nation and sit down and tell the nation how much this, these illegal immigrants are costing us per state and what, how it’s affecting yours, how it’s driving up your costs. And I mean, I, I think once these people really see what’s going on in there, you know, like an old farmer says, liars can figure, but figures don’t lie. And I, Trump has to do that. He has to sit down and face-to-face the nation, have a news conference and say, this is what’s going on, and have the Republican governors in there. And, I mean, hey, and also one thing, Joey, the government isn’t shut down because I got my paycheck, and, hey, they still took my federal taxes out on it.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, that raises a good question, Todd. Is the IRS considered essential?
SPEAKER 03 :
Exactly. And I’m like you. It doesn’t affect me one bit. I mean, it doesn’t. Hey, Joe, you have a great day, and I hope I made some sense with my comment. Sure thing, Todd. Have a good one.
SPEAKER 06 :
You too. Have a blessed weekend for sure. Portions of today’s show made possible by Americans for a Balanced Budget. You know, Congress’s approval of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was – truly a defining moment in President Donald Trump’s administration, Trump 2-0. But that win is now at risk. Unless Congress acts before the end of the year, a massive health care tax hike will hit millions of Americans. Americans for a balanced budget is sounding the alarm. Key health care tax credits are set to expire on December 31st. If they lapse… 24 million Americans could face skyrocketing health care costs. Millions may lose coverage entirely. Some communities will be hit especially hard with job losses, fewer providers, and reduced access to health care. Congress must act this year to protect these vital tax credits for Americans who buy their own health insurance. President Trump’s pollster found that 77 percent of voters, including over 70 percent of Trump supporters, are more likely to vote for candidates who preserve these credits. Americans for a Balanced Budget is calling on Congress to keep the full promise of the one big beautiful bill by stopping a devastating health care tax hike that will happen if they do not take action before the end of the year. Your voice counts. Visit StopHealthCostHikes.com. StopHealthCostHikes.com. Tell Congress, act now, protect tax credits, and prevent higher health care costs. 800-655-6453. Back to the phones. Pablo is in Bowling Springs, South Carolina, just up the road from my home. Welcome. You’re on the Mike Gallagher Show. Are you with me? I guess we lost Pablo. Jeff is in Montana. Welcome, Jeff. You’re on the Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 04 :
Actually, I’m from New York. Okay. Yep, I recently went to my local emergency room, and I looked down at my bracelet, and it had, instead of saying 62-year-old male, it said 62-year-old he, him, and his on my ID bracelet.
SPEAKER 06 :
Uh-huh.
SPEAKER 04 :
So… I just happened to notice and looked down at it, and I thought that they used the wrong pronoun with me because I’m a male. And it just turned into a big deal. I called the administration at the hospital and spoke to them about it. I just thought it was odd that they put he, him, and his on my ID bracelet instead of male.
SPEAKER 06 :
Don’t you think this whole pronoun thing has just gotten out of hand? I mean, before, a couple years or so ago when this started, I never even thought about pronouns. Had you?
SPEAKER 04 :
No, not at all. No, no.
SPEAKER 06 :
And what’s the point? I mean, when they put that on your bracelet, what was the point?
SPEAKER 04 :
I agree. They couldn’t even explain it to me, you know, and It was just an interesting experience.
SPEAKER 06 :
Interesting. Appreciate your phone call, Jeff. You said you’re in New York, not Montana.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I just kept my old phone number.
SPEAKER 06 :
I got you. I got you. Appreciate your phone call. 800-655-6453. Let’s stay on the phones here. Special guest here, Congresswoman Sherry Biggs from South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District. Welcome. Welcome.
SPEAKER 20 :
Hey, Kelly, how are you?
SPEAKER 06 :
I am wonderful. Good to have you today.
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, we’re out working in the district today and we were listening to you. I don’t know if Mike’s going to move over and let you have his show, but you’re doing a great job this morning. And just wanted to tell you that let our constituents know that we’re working hard in the third district. So the shutdown hasn’t affected us one bit.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, yeah. Talk with me a minute. What are you hearing, Congresswoman, about how long do you think this will go on? How long do you think it will take before the Democrats come to their senses?
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, I think President Trump will be, has a plan B, and I think some of his actions are going to cause them to feel the sense of urgency a little bit more than they have been. But Hopefully today they’ll come to their senses, but if not, you know, I think we’re going to continue work as usual. It’s unfortunate, though, for our constituents in the third district, and it’s unfortunate for Americans, period, to have to be dealing with this. So hopefully we’ll come to an agreement pretty quickly.
SPEAKER 06 :
Has your office received many calls from constituents who are having issues because offices are closed?
SPEAKER 20 :
We haven’t gotten a lot. Our DC office is open and our office in Anderson is open and we’re available for work as usual. And we’re trying to help navigate if any of our constituents are having issues. We have boots on the ground ready to go. So everybody’s working normal. I think we have one intern that we weren’t able to continue. But other than that, it’s business as usual.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, one of the things I’ve never understood, and on our guest line, Congresswoman Sherry Biggs, she represents the third district of my home state of South Carolina. One of the things I’ve never completely understood in shutdowns is, you know, we label people either essential or non-essential. The essential workers still have to work. They’re not going to get a check, but eventually they’ll get the back pay. The non-essential workers, as I understand it, they won’t go to work. They’ll sit at home and, I guess, binge watch Netflix videos. But they, too, eventually will be paid. Is that correct?
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, I think it’s sad. I mean, if you are not an essential worker, I don’t think, to me, everybody is an essential worker.
SPEAKER 06 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 20 :
To make sure that, yeah, it’s ridiculous how they’re trying to play on words. Exactly. adjust things to make them seem or appear different. But I know for South Carolina and for our conservatives, we’re working hard. We’re not going to let this chaos… It’s just unfortunate that they’re holding the Americans hostage and trying to play political games. And this is not funny. I mean, you look at our military members and our veterans and the people… the families that it’s affecting in our district. This is absurd, and it needs to come to an end today.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, it does. It is absurd, and it’s a waste of time, and it’s distracted everybody. I mean, this is all we’ve been talking about for the past few days. It’s a big distraction. There’s too much work to be done for us to be doing this, right?
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, and I hope the American citizens will take note. And the people that are playing around with our taxpayer dollars, I hope they’ll vote them out and only put people in that are going to represent our conservative values and that are there for the right reasons to get the job done and to continue to put America first.
SPEAKER 06 :
Sure.
SPEAKER 20 :
We need to do. And the voters have that ability.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yep. Congresswoman Biggs, it’s always a pleasure to talk to you. Be safe out there as you are traveling around the 3rd District talking with your constituents.
SPEAKER 20 :
Thank you. Take care and have a great day.
SPEAKER 06 :
Sure thing. Always a pleasure. Joey Hudson in for Mike today. 800-655-6453 is how you join the conversation. Text me on the MyFellow text line. Email me directly. Joey at JoeyHudson.com.
SPEAKER 1 :
Gotta do what you can just to keep your love.
SPEAKER 12 :
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SPEAKER 14 :
Mike Gallagher.
SPEAKER 06 :
Joey Hudson in for Mike today. You know, one of the things that has become very evident here is the Democrats, they don’t really know what they’re proposing and what they’re not proposing. Have you noticed over the past few days there’s been a mixed message here? We had Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying, oh, no, we’re not proposing that we give illegals health care. But then you had Maxine Waters this week say, oh, yeah, we want everybody to have health care. And even some of the liberal media is starting to push back. I’ll give you an example. Hakeem Jeffries, in a viral interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, also said that it was a lie that Democrats want to give away health insurance. Jake Tapper pushed back. Here’s the exchange.
SPEAKER 11 :
And Democrats want to talk about extending the Obamacare subsidies, which expire at the end of 2025. But they talk about the provisions, and it’s right here, subtitle E. And this has to do with the repeal of health care subtitle changes and specifically what it is. How they characterize it is you want to give health insurance to undocumented immigrants. I understand that’s not really an accurate depiction, but what it does do is… It’s a lie. It’s a lie, but what you support does bring back funding for emergency Medicaid to hospitals, some of which does pay for undocumented immigrants and people who don’t have health insurance. And also, there is this provision, and it’s not about undocumented immigrants, it’s about… people with asylum seekers and people with temporary protected status, etc., etc., but about their ability to get Medicaid. So they’re non-citizens. They’re not undocumented. They’re not illegal. Why even include that in a bill knowing that they’re going to seize right upon that and use that as a message?
SPEAKER 06 :
Wow. You can see the look on Hakeem Jeffries’ face, for those of you watching us on the Salem News Channel. Here’s the bottom line. Between fiscal years 2017 and 2023, federal and state governments spent a total of $27 billion on emergency Medicaid services for people who were ineligible for full Medicaid coverage because of their immigration status. That’s the bottom line. We have been paying for health care. And the Democrats want us to continue to pay for health care. That’s why they’re pushing this. That’s why our government is closed right now. Now, I do think that Chuck Schumer miscalculated on the response. I do think that when he and whoever he sits down with at night to come up with strategy, they missed this one. I don’t think Donald Trump, I don’t think Speaker Mike Johnson, I don’t think Senate Majority Leader John Thune, I don’t think they’re going to bend on this. Do you? Should they? 800-655-6453. Back to the phones. Jackson, you’re on the Mike Gallagher Show. Hello? Hey, Jackson, yeah, you’re on the Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 21 :
Hey, first-time caller, 24 from San Antonio, back home from college. I was just calling in mostly because I’m not, I mean, I’m happy that we’re having a national conversation about health care. I kind of wish it was citizens as opposed to you know, non-citizens, but you get what you get. I was mostly calling in because I wasn’t really happy with the whole Argentina thing. I feel like no one’s really talking about that. I heard they were going to be bailing them out, and I just, that is like the worst possible thing. The idea of bailing out another country, friend or foe, just leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, well, you know, there are a lot of things that I don’t care for, and I don’t think we should be bailing any country out. I agree with you on that. We spend too much of our hard-earned tax dollars trying to be friends with everybody around the country. We can’t be friends with everybody. We need to take care of ourselves first. We need to balance our own budget before we bail anybody out. Vernon is on the Mike Gallagher Show. Welcome, Vernon. Hey, how you doing, sir? Wonderful. Hope you are. I’m well, thank you.
SPEAKER 05 :
What’s on your mind today? Oh, I’m sorry. I’m calling about the shutdown of the government. Here’s what I think we need to do. If they have a government credit card, I’m talking about senators and all those people in the elective, turn them off. If they’ve got a government car, take it away from them and then dock their pay while they’re doing this. That’s my suggestion.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, a congressman from my home state of South Carolina, Ralph Norman – He submitted a constitutional amendment this week that would change that so that members of Congress are not paid. Now, the reality is that’s going to be a tough one. It’s hard to amend the Constitution. But he and other members of the South Carolina delegation and others around the country have or saying, I’m not going to take my pay. Either hold it, I’m not going to accept it, or in some cases, like Senator Lindsey Graham, our senior senator from South Carolina, said, I’m going to donate mine. And he named Upstate Warrior Solution, which is a great nonprofit who serves veterans in the upstate of South Carolina. I’m going to give mine to Upstate Warrior Solution. I mean, I think that’s a good thing to do.
SPEAKER 05 :
I think it’s outstanding, sir. Outstanding. I’m a retired vet myself.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, thank you for your service, Vernon. Have a great weekend and a blessed day. 800-655-6453 is how you join the conversation, either through the MyPillow text line. You can call, and we’ll put you in queue. We’ll talk as time permits, of course. I love your emails. You can email me anytime directly, joey at joeyhudson.com. I read every one of them, and I try to respond to every one of them. A Portland, Oregon City Council member is literally advising people on how to avoid detection by local officials. I’m Joey Hudson, in for Mike Gallagher on this Free Speech Friday. Hope you’ll join the conversation.
This episode dives deep into the federal government shutdown, examining the core disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over funding health care for undocumented immigrants. As political tensions rise, we reflect on significant moments like the 2019 Democratic presidential debate where the stance on healthcare was made clear. The episode also features key political figures offering their perspectives, including insights on how various states navigate healthcare provisions for undocumented immigrants.
