The Trump administration unveiled a “significant policy shift” on Thursday that boots illegal migrants off many taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) formally rescinded a Clinton-era interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), according to a press release by the department. The move, which aligns with a previous executive order by President Donald Trump, will ensure that federally-funded benefits intended for U.S. citizens are not diverted to illegal migrants.
“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a public statement. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”
The policy, first implemented in 1998, undermined the law by allowing illegal migrants access to taxpayer-funded programs intended exclusively for U.S. citizens, according to HHS. Specifically, the update by the Trump administration applies the PRWORA’s definition of “federal public benefit” and affirms that HHS programs serving families, households or individuals are subject to eligibility restrictions.
Among the list of affected programs is Head Start, which has provided an array of health, nutrition and education services to low-income families since the 1960s, according to HHS. Initial analysis by the department estimates that U.S. citizens could receive as much as $374 million more in Head Start services every year from the policy change.
“Alongside HHS, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is committed to providing and protecting resources that serve America’s most vulnerable,” Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison said in a public statement. “Head Start’s classification under the new PRWORA interpretation puts American families first by ensuring taxpayer-funded benefits are reserved for eligible individuals.”
In addition to Head Start, other programs now classified as “federal public benefits” under PRWORA include Health Center Program, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Community Services Block Grant, Community Mental Health Services Block Grant and a slate of other tax-funded programs, according to HHS.
The move follows an executive order signed by Trump on Feb. 19, entitled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” which directs federal officials to identify taxpayer-funded programs allowing illegal migrants to obtain public benefits and then “take all appropriate actions” to end the practice.
HHS has served a major player in the Trump administration’s aim to identify and remove illegal migrants from the country. The department recently handed over Medicaid data on millions of enrollees to the Department of Homeland Security, including their immigration status, potentially making it easier for deportation officials to locate these individuals.
While the Trump administration has worked to remove illegal migrants from taxpayer-funded healthcare programs, a slate of Democrat-led states have also been forced to wean unlawfully present foreign nationals from their state-run Medicaid programs. In recent months, California, Minnesota and Illinois — have all been made to consider cutting back taxpayer-funded healthcare services to illegal migrants and other noncitizens in the wake of ballooning costs and higher-than-expected enrollment.
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