Democrat-led states are "obviously" leaning on federal funds to subsidize healthcare for immigrants in the country illegally, an unfair practice that should be stopped, said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan.
"I think it's very obvious that states like California do everything they can to use federal dollars for free healthcare for illegal migrants," Marshall said Monday during an appearance on Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show."
He added that Republicans have tried to curb the spending but ran into procedural roadblocks in the Senate.
"We tried to address it at different points, but we couldn't get it done through reconciliation because the parliamentarian wouldn't let us ... We'll keep fighting at it, though."
Marshall's comments come as California remains the highest-profile example of a blue-state push to widen public coverage regardless of immigration status.
The state completed a multiyear expansion of Medi-Cal in January 2024, making low-income adults eligible for comprehensive coverage regardless of their immigration status.
Supporters say the expansion improves access and public health; critics counter that it strains budgets and blurs lines between state and federal responsibility.
Costs have become a flashpoint even inside California.
State analysts and lawmakers have pointed to billions in annual spending tied to the undocumented expansion. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed limits this year amid a budget shortfall.
His plan includes a $100 monthly premium for undocumented adults and a freeze on new adult enrollment starting Jan. 1, 2026.
The debate has fed Republican claims that generous state benefits act as a magnet and shift resources away from citizens.
At the federal level, Marshall said Republicans tried to address the issue through budget reconciliation — a fast-track Senate process for passing fiscal measures with a simple majority — but were blocked by the chamber's parliamentarian.
That ruling, he argued, kept the GOP from tightening restrictions on the use of federal health dollars for immigrants without legal status.
While undocumented immigrants are generally barred from federally funded health programs like Medicaid, states can create state-funded Medicaid "look-alikes" or use narrow federal options, such as emergency or prenatal coverage, which fuels disputes over how much federal money is indirectly supporting these efforts.
Marshall vowed to keep pressing the issue, framing it as part of a broader fight over immigration enforcement and public spending priorities.
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