Biden plan to extend ObamaCare eligibility to illegal immigrants gets pushback in Congress: 'Madness'
FIRST ON FOX: A recent rule announced by the Biden administration that would make tens of thousands of illegal immigrants eligible for ObamaCare is facing Republican resistance in Congress – with a lawmaker moving to stop what she says is a move to incentivize illegal immigration.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is introducing a resolution of disapproval of a rule announced last week that would allow illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and are protected under an Obama-era order to be eligible for ObamaCare.
The administration announced that those enrolled under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be allowed to access ObamaCare through HealthCare.gov and state-based marketplaces.
THESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR OBAMACARE AFTER BIDEN RULE CHANGE
The administration says it predicts that the rule, which will go into effect just days before the 2024 presidential election, will result in over 100,000 uninsured illegal immigrants accessing health insurance. The rule does so by making what HHS calls "technical modifications" to the definition of "lawfully present" used to determine eligibility.
The resolution expresses congressional disapproval of the rule. A resolution would need to be passed by the House and Senate and either signed into law by the president, or gain enough votes to override a veto.
"Joe Biden, ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris, and impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas flung our borders wide open, caused an invasion of our country by illegal aliens, and prioritized giving taxpayer benefits to illegal aliens over American citizens," Mace said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "This rule to give taxpayer subsidized healthcare to 100,000 illegal aliens is yet another example of this administration putting America Last and actively incentivizing illegal immigration."
REPUBLICAN STATES ASK FEDERAL JUDGE TO END ‘UNLAWFUL’ DACA PROGRAM
"Congress must stand up and put a stop to this madness," she said.
Biden, in a statement on the rule last week, defended the rule and doubled down on his calls for those he called "Dreamers" to be granted a pathway to citizenship along with millions of other illegal immigrants.
"I’m proud of the contributions of Dreamers to our country and committed to providing Dreamers the support they need to succeed. That’s why I’ve previously directed the Department of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to ‘preserve and fortify’ DACA. And that’s why today we are taking this historic step to ensure that DACA recipients have the same access to health care through the Affordable Care Act as their neighbors," he said.
"On Day One of my administration, I sent a comprehensive immigration reform plan to Congress to protect Dreamers and their families. Only Congress can provide Dreamers permanent status and a pathway to citizenship. Congress must act."
Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.