Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders showed up under CNN lights and performed the left’s familiar routine: talk big about “healthcare as a human right” while dancing around the hard question of who actually pays for it. AOC refused to give a straight answer when pressed on whether taxpayer-funded care should extend to people here illegally, and that dodge matters to every working American who pays premiums and taxes.
On Friday’s Chris Salcedo program, Rep. Ronny Jackson rightly called out the absurdity of this posture — progressives promise universal care in the abstract but won’t face the real trade-offs. Conservatives aren’t praying for cruelty; we demand honesty and prioritization of citizens who have followed the rules and already shoulder the burden of this system. The left’s rhetorical games leave families and seniors wondering why their care is being gambled away for political theater.
Adding fuel to the fire, a CMS internal review flagged serious Medicaid payments tied to people without legal status, a discovery that should alarm anyone worried about spending discipline and program integrity. If even a fraction of federal healthcare funding is leaking to those who aren’t supposed to receive it, Congress ought to clamp down immediately and stop sanctimonious lectures from lawmakers who won’t take responsibility.
The political left pushes narratives to distract voters, but facts matter: federal law currently prevents undocumented immigrants from accessing most ACA and Medicaid benefits, and claims that Democrats shut down the government merely to expand benefits to the illegal population are misleading. Still, the optics of a party that touts “care for all” while ignoring border and fiscal reality plays straight into voters’ anger. Americans want compassion that’s lawful and sustainable, not virtue signaling that breaks budgets and promises.
This fight isn’t abstract budget arithmetic — it helped trigger a government shutdown as Democrats insisted on preserving expansive ACA subsidies while Republicans pushed different priorities, leaving millions of Americans and essential services in limbo. The public deserves representatives who put citizens first, not endless bargaining that offloads costs onto hardworking families and future generations. Our leaders must choose whether to be stewards of the public purse or architects of permanent entitlement growth.
Senate Republicans like John Barrasso are right to call out this imbalance: when Washington debates whether to prioritize citizens or accommodate open-border grandstanding, they should expect pushback. The GOP must keep pressing the argument that border security, enforcement of existing law, and fiscal sanity are not cruel—they are the foundation of a functioning nation and a humane welfare state for those who earn it. Voters will remember who protected them and who put politics before people.
The solution is simple and patriotic: secure the border, enforce eligibility rules, and restore integrity to programs before considering expansion. We can be compassionate without being reckless, but that requires lawmakers who will tell Americans the truth and defend their interests rather than pander to left-wing fantasies. Stand with those who work, fight, and pay taxes — demand accountability, not political theater.
