Backlash: Biden Criticized for Granting Select Illegal Immigrants Health Care Benefits

President Joe Biden announced on Friday that he would make certain illegal immigrants eligible for government-backed health care coverage, prompting criticism from Republicans who said it was a “slap in the face” to American citizens.

Biden said that illegal immigrants in the United States who had received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status because they had been taken into the country with their parents, would be able to now enroll in Obamacare. In a statement, Biden said that the illegal immigrants might be eligible for financial assistance to give them coverage.

“While President Biden continues to call on Congress to provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers and others, he is committed to protecting and preserving DACA and providing Dreamers with the opportunities and support they need to succeed, including access to affordable, quality health care coverage,” Biden said.

The decision was made possible by a Biden admin rule changing the definition of “lawfully present” to include DACA recipients for Obamacare and will go into effect just before the presidential election as DACA recipients will be able to register for coverage on November 1.

“Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions, today’s final rule will remove the prohibition on DACA recipients’ eligibility for Affordable Care Act coverage for the first time, and is projected to help more than 100,000 young people gain health insurance,” the president added.

The decision prompted harsh criticism from conservatives, including former President Donald Trump.

“This is unfair and unsustainable,” Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said. “Joe Biden‘s handouts for illegal immigrants are especially devastating to Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and union workers who are forced to watch their jobs and public resources stolen by people who illegally entered our country.”

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“President Trump will put America and the American worker first. He will seal the border, stop the invasion, and expand economic opportunity for American citizens, not illegal aliens,” Leavitt added.

Last summer, Republicans in both the House and Senate urged Biden to not finalize the rule.

On Friday, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) said that Biden should be focusing on getting the border under control and reducing inflation instead of giving benefits to illegal immigrants.

“There’s an unprecedented crisis at our southern border, we’ve got major conflicts around the world, and families all across Ohio are getting crushed by inflation,” he said. “Joe Biden’s response to all this is to give your hard-earned money away to illegal immigrants in the form of taxpayer-funded healthcare. This is a slap in the face to every hardworking American who plays by the rules, and it would never happen if Donald Trump were president.”

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