Illegal aliens do sometimes improperly secure American taxpayer-funded welfare benefits, United States Census Bureau data makes clear.

As the federal government shutdown continues, the establishment media and elected Democrats are routinely claiming that illegal aliens cannot secure taxpayer-funded welfare.

“[House Speaker Mike Johnson] also falsely claimed that Democrats want to give healthcare, extend healthcare to illegal immigrants. That is not true. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for federal healthcare programs,” a CNN anchor said on Thursday.

That media talking point echoes House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “Federal law prohibits the use of Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act to provide health insurance in any way, shape, or form to undocumented immigrants. Period. Full stop. That’s the law,” Jeffries told ABC News.

The claim is being made to counter Republicans, who affirm that Democrats have allowed the government to shut down because they want to repeal reforms that seek to prevent illegal aliens from gaining access to taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits.

Analysis of the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) tells a much different story — one in which, despite best efforts from the Trump administration, illegal aliens do sometimes secure welfare benefits.

CIS researchers reviewed SIPP data regarding illegal immigrant-headed households that use welfare programs, but more specifically, the exact applicants for such welfare, finding that illegal aliens themselves sometimes secure cash benefits, food stamps, Medicaid, and housing vouchers.

“While 59 percent of households headed by an illegal immigrant receive welfare, just 20 percent of illegal immigrant heads personally receive welfare themselves,” CIS’s Jason Richwine wrote in March.

“Other members of their households, who are usually legal residents, make up the difference,” Richwine continues. “The head-household distinction is especially noticeable with Medicaid, as just 1 percent of illegal household heads receive Medicaid — typically in emergency situations — but receipt by other household members pushes the rate all the way up to 39 percent.”

As Richwine details, illegal aliens most often secure welfare benefits by having their U.S.-citizen children or relatives — with whom they reside — apply for the benefits.

A memo from the White House, issued this week, estimates that Democrats’ demands to reopen the government would ensure almost $200 billion in taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits for illegal aliens.

Why Isn’t President Trump Using Tariff Revenue to Reopen the Government?

As the U.S. government remains shut down for nearly a week, one question looms large: why isn’t President Donald Trump using the money collected from tariffs to keep the government running?

During this partial shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed or are working without pay. Many essential functions — including food and drug safety inspections — have been delayed as Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked over a temporary funding bill.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury continues to collect record amounts of tariff revenue — a figure Trump has frequently touted as a key achievement of his trade war policies.

Yet the tens of billions of dollars collected from tariffs are merely a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed to keep the federal government operational. Still, such funds, if accessible, could temporarily cushion the economic impact of the shutdown while lawmakers argue over spending priorities.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, tariff revenues in September reached $31.7 billion, bringing total tariff collections for the year to $190 billion — a 160% increase from the same period last year. On October 1, the first day of the shutdown, the government took in roughly $315 million in tariffs.

By comparison, the daily payroll for about 750,000 furloughed federal workers is estimated at around $400 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

All tariff revenue goes into a general fund managed by the U.S. Treasury — often referred to as “America’s checkbook” — which is used to pay the government’s existing obligations, such as tax refunds. However, that fund, and all incoming revenue including tariffs, is effectively frozen until Congress passes a spending bill authorizing government expenditures.

In theory, Congress and the President could override that freeze by approving a measure to allocate tariff revenue for a specific purpose — such as paying furloughed federal workers. But so far, neither party has shown any interest in pursuing such an option.

White House spokesman Kush Desai told CNN, “We don’t need any new workaround to mitigate the impact of this Democrat-caused shutdown. All Democrats have to do is reopen the government by passing a resolution — just as they’ve done many times before.”

Many Democrats, however, reject the idea that tariffs represent a viable or legitimate new source of government funding. They argue that Americans are effectively footing the bill through higher prices on imported goods.

“Trump’s tariffs are the problem, not the solution,” said Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, in an interview with CNN.