Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren freaked out at CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil on Thursday after he suggested Republican claims about Democrats wanting healthcare for illegal immigrants was true.
President Doanld Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Vice President JD Vance have all claimed Democrats shut down the government over demands that U.S. taxpayers provide free healthcare to illegal immigrants.
“Republicans say what you’re really fighting for is taxpayer dollars for, as they put it, illegal aliens. I know that’s not strictly true, but there is a provision—” Dokoupil said.
“Oh, excuse me, not strictly true?” Warren interrupted.
“It’s not directly true, but—” Dokoupil said.
“It is a flat-out lie! It is a flat-out lie!” Warren shouted. “There is nothing in Medicaid, nothing in Medicare, that permits one undocumented immigrant to get one dollar of assistance! None! Zero!”
Dokoupil pressed Warren on the Democratic counteroffer to the Republican continuing resolution, which Republicans said would restore Medicaid benefits for certain noncitizens who lost coverage under Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
“In the Democratic counteroffer, the proposal for funding, there is a restoration of Medicaid benefits for certain noncitizens that had been taken away in the Big, Beautiful Bill, as Republicans put it. Republicans don’t think those people should be getting healthcare on the taxpayer dime. I’m not asking on the merits. Politically, putting that in there exposes you to this talking point, this lie as you put it. Why put it in there? Why is it worth it?” Dokoupil asked.
Warren denied the claim and argued Democrats want to ensure hospitals can provide emergency care to any patient — and have taxpayers would cover the cost.
“No. What’s happened is that what we’re saying is that whenever hospitals give care, what is going to be the level of reimbursement? And the Republicans said it’s going to be a low level. The Democrats said we just want go back to the level it was before because you’re going to bankrupt hospitals. You’re going to put rural hospitals out of business,” Warren said.
“The Republicans and the Democrats’ plan, nothing changes the number of undocumented immigrants who still get care if they show up bleeding and unconscious at an emergency room. There is absolutely zero difference,” Warren said.
“The difference is whether or not hospitals who, under laws that date back to Ronald Reagan, may provide emergency care to anyone who’s unconscious, will actually get reimbursed at a very low level that will put the hospital ultimately out of business, potentially, or at a higher level,” she said.
“The Republicans – there is no change, no change in the number of undocumented migrants who get any help under what the Democrats want.”
The Big Beautiful Bill significantly restricted noncitizens eligibility for Medicaid coverage, which is now only accessible to lawful permanent residents. Noncitizens must get their own health insurance, like almost every working American citizen.
Democrats voted to shut down the government Wednesday because the Republican continuing resolution did not include an extension of Biden-era Obamacare subsidies — which would expand the U.S. deficit by $350 billion between 2026 and 2035.
Republicans said Congress should focus on balancing the budget before discussing tax credit extensions.
Take a look —
🚨JUST IN: Leftist Sen. Elizabeth Warren LOSES IT on CBS Mornings when challenged about the provision for illegal aliens to receive Healthcare benefits in the radical list of demands she & Schumer used to shut the government down. pic.twitter.com/V8a9snz0iu
This woman can't have a…
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔊𝔬𝔩𝔡𝔢𝔫 𝔄𝔤𝔢 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 🇺🇸 (@GoldenAgeTimes2) October 2, 2025
Three Democrats and independents voted with Republicans to keep the government open: Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats.
Fetterman said he voted for “our country over [his] party” and called the shutdown “a sad day for our nation.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt predicted Thursday the shutdown will lead to “thousands” of federal layoffs in the coming days.