October 07 2025, 08:15 
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had a simple response when asked if Democrats are trying to get health care for undocumented immigrants into a continuing resolution to fund the federal government and end the shutdown.
“It’s just a lie,” he told Meidas Touch in a recent interview.
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The federal government shut down last week after the Senate failed to pass two different continuing resolutions—one Republican, one Democratic—that would have kept the government funded. Democrats are hinging their support for a continuing resolution on the continuation of health care subsidies for Obamacare health care plans, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
Republicans—including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Vice President JD Vance, and the White House itself—have all accused Democrats of demanding that the federal government provide health care for undocumented immigrants in exchange for their support for the continuing resolution, even though that is not in the text of the bill they put forward last week.
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And Buttigieg explained why that demand would be ridiculous.
“You’re not eligible to get these health benefits if you’re not in this country legally,” Buttigieg explained. “But the really upsetting thing is tens of millions of Americans – American citizens – are losing their health care or paying more for health care because of these Republican policies.”
“And I think our posture is: look, Republicans are in charge, you control the House, you control the Senate, you control the White House, and in many ways you control the courts. If you’re going to rip health care away from Americans, don’t expect Democrats to help you do it.”
EXCLUSIVE: “So, it’s just a lie…”@PeteButtigieg reacts to Republican claims that Democrats are shutting down the government to get healthcare for undocumented immigrants and explains his answer on the issue during an @NBCNews presidential primary debate in 2019. @MeidasTouch pic.twitter.com/YRRScOHGYb
— Luke Radel (@lukeradel) October 3, 2025
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