Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom reportedly wants to revise a program giving taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal migrants in a proposed state budget.
Newsom’s spending plan for the state’s legislature requires illegal migrants to pay $100 monthly premiums to receive California Medi-Cal coverage, reversing existing policy, the Los Angeles Times reported. The policy offering free healthcare for migrants regardless of immigration status has put a major strain on California’s already stretched budget after just one full year of operating at its recently expanded capacity, according to state estimates.
The proposed budget would also block all adult applications after Jan. 1 for Medi-Cal, which covers care specifically for low-income Californians. Newsom’s office said the changes will save the state roughly $5.4 billion over the next few fiscal years, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Newsom’s office pointed to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and unexpectedly high healthcare enrollment as the basis for his decision in comments to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“To be very clear: Governor Newsom remains committed to protecting the immigrant communities who contribute to the fabric and economy of California,” a Newsom spokesperson said.
“Governor Newsom refuses to turn his back on hardworking Californians, especially when it comes to their basic health care needs,” Newsom’s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “But President Trump’s pendulum swings on tariffs have slowed the economy and weakened state revenues by a staggering $16 billion. At the same time, costs have grown, especially from higher Medi-Cal enrollment.”
“This is in no way a change in values; this is a corrective action that balances fiscal responsibility while preserving core tenets of key investments,” the spokesperson told the DCNF.
California became the nation’s first state to offer free health insurance coverage to illegal migrants of all ages in January 2024 with Newsom’s support. The governor signaled in March that he would not end the program, instead asking the legislature for a $2.8 billion loan to continue funding it.
“In California, we believe everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care coverage – regardless of income or immigration status,” Newsom’s office declared when the program first passed into law. “Through this expansion, we’re making sure families and communities across California are healthier, stronger, and able to get the care they need when they need it.”
California reportedly faces a nearly $40 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year. Newsom’s officials estimated in March that paying for illegal migrants’ care would cost the state $9.5 billion, more than $3 billion above a previous estimate. A Pew Research report found that the state had the biggest undocumented population in the U.S. at 1.8 million in 2022, before the conclusion of former President Joe Biden’s term, which saw the highest migration surge in U.S. history.
Newsom recently broke ranks from many in his party in April by supporting Republican-backed legislation that would increase penalties for child sex traffickers, and in March when he said that letting men who identify as female play in women’s sports is “deeply unfair.” The politician previously supported policies allowing schoolteachers to hide children’s gender identification from parents, men to be housed in women’s prisons and students to play on sports teams that don’t match their biological sex.
Newsom’s recent lean toward more centrist stances is fueling claims that he may run for president for the Democratic Party in 2028. Most Californians said Newsom is more focused on a potential presidential run than serving the state in a poll conducted in April.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Gov. Newsom’s office.
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