Democrats Shut Down Government for Illegals — and They’re Finally Admitting It

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Day two of the government shutdown has stripped away the spin. Democrats can shout until they’re blue in the face that Republicans are lying, but the truth is breaking through. They shut down the federal government to protect healthcare for illegal immigrants.

For a week we watched the same routine play out on CNN and MSNBC. Hosts like Kaitlan Collins smugly “fact-checked” Republicans, insisting federal dollars can’t go to illegals and Obamacare subsidies don’t apply. They spoke as though reading out of a civics textbook while ignoring the reality on the ground: states like California are already funneling billions into illegal immigrant healthcare by laundering federal Medicaid dollars, and loopholes in Obamacare subsidies have led to mass enrollment fraud. The debate isn’t about whether it’s happening. It is. The debate is whether Democrats want to double down.

And now, the mask is slipping. As Michael Knowles pointed out today, the Democrat position has gone through all the predictable stages: first, denial. Then, “Well, maybe, but it’s not a big deal.” Soon enough, they’ll be saying what we all know they believe: yes, we shut down the government to give illegals free healthcare, and that’s a very good thing.

This is what makes the fight so clear. Republicans are saying, “Take care of Americans first.” Democrats are saying, “Take care of everyone else, and Americans can wait their turn.”

Meanwhile, what are Democrats really worked up about? Not a shutdown that leaves federal employees in limbo. Not inflation still chewing into family budgets. Not crime ripping through their own blue cities. No, Megyn Kelly nailed it when she said they seem more concerned about Trump’s AI memes with sombreros than fixing anything in Washington. The ruling class obsesses over cartoon hats while the country they’re supposed to serve spirals deeper into debt and division.

At the same time, Matt Walsh exposed another example of misplaced priorities. While Christians in Africa are being slaughtered and churches are under siege right here at home, Pope Leo is busy hosting a “climate justice” summit at the Vatican. Think about that. Believers across the globe face persecution and violence, yet the supposed leader of the Catholic Church is lecturing about carbon footprints. It’s the same upside-down thinking that drives our own politicians to fight harder for healthcare for illegals than for the families crushed by medical debt in Ohio or Texas.

And while Democrats flail, President Trump is pressing the advantage. As Tim Pool reported, Trump is deploying Russ Vought. Yes, the same man Democrats demonized over “Project 2025”, to separate essential government functions from bloated bureaucracy. Suddenly, the Left’s favorite conspiracy theory is becoming reality: Trump is actually looking for ways to permanently cut wasteful Democrat-run agencies. They told us “Project 2025” was a fever dream. Now they’re panicking because it’s starting to look like a blueprint.

This is why the shutdown is a win-win for Trump. Either Democrats cave and agree to strip out illegal immigrant healthcare, or he gets to start swinging an axe at the bureaucracy that props them up.

And as Clay Travis reminded listeners, ordinary Americans see through the charade. The same media class that told us “the shutdown will be catastrophic” is shrugging when it drags on because most people don’t feel it. What they do feel is the insult of knowing their government fights harder for illegal immigrants than for them.

That’s the bottom line tonight. Democrats chose this hill to die on. They didn’t shut down the government for veterans. They didn’t shut it down for struggling families or small businesses. They shut it down for illegal immigrants.

And that tells you everything you need to know about their priorities and why this fight matters.

Have a good evening, and I’ll be right back here tomorrow with another recap of America’s conservative conversation.