Earlier this month, the White House released a statement complaining that over 1.4 million illegal migrants "are currently on Medicaid, stealing taxpayer-funded health care benefits meant for American citizens."

However, one congressman recently presented Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem with a plan to change that and remove the benefits altogether.

Hunt floats idea

According to Fox News, Texas Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt sent letters to Noem on Wednesday as well as to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.

In them, he called for the creation of a task force charged with using Medicaid records to find those who are illegally present in the country.

"Through coordinated efforts between DHS and CMS, we can develop an effective approach to identify people based on financial data, residence, or medical records, and then take appropriate action against those violating our immigration laws," Hunt wrote.

Read Congressman Hunt’s letter here: pic.twitter.com/pQqoJ7ApI2

— Rep. Wesley Hunt Press Office (@RepWPH) June 26, 2025

The Texas congressman went on to declare that "[w]e must protect American resources for American citizens. End of discussion."

Lawmaker decries "unsustainable burden"

Hunt reiterated that message in a statement provided to Fox News in which he highlighted the fiscal implications of Medicaid use by illegal aliens.

"While Democrats in Congress continue to peddle falsehoods and fear-mongering over so-called 'Medicaid cuts,' they conveniently ignore a staggering truth: over 1.4 million illegal aliens are receiving Medicaid benefits, an unsustainable burden on the American taxpayer," Hunt was quoted as saying.

"I've formally requested the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a task force to identify those unlawfully exploiting our healthcare system and ensure they are swiftly removed from our country," he noted.

Fox News obtained a document from the Congressional Budget Office which echoed the White House's complaint regarding Medicaid use by illegal aliens.

Medicaid ban stripped from bill

"About 1.4 million would be people who do not meet citizenship and immigration status requirements for Medicaid enrollment but who would be covered under current law in programs funded by the states," it states.

Yet the network cited sources on Capitol Hill who indicated that the provision is being redrafted in the hope that it can be included in the final version of the legislation