The California Assembly voted to maintain taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants, which the state said earlier had cost $9.5 billion this year.
The proposed budget amendment would have terminated Medi-Cal funding for illegal immigrants and further state funding for the state’s $35 billion high-speed rail project set to connect the Central Valley cities of Merced and Bakersfield by 2033.
“I rise in opposition to the current form of AB 100, and ask that this body take up an amendment to eliminate funding for illegal immigrant free health care at taxpayers’ expense, as well as direct the elimination, the suspension, the cancellation of the high speed rail project, which has become a multibillion dollar boondoggle costing taxpayers,” said Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, on the Assembly floor, introducing the Republican caucus’s amendment to the current year’s budget adjustment. “All of us support Medi-Cal; it is the most important health care program for the neediest among us — children, the indigent, low-income families — but all of their health coverage has been put at risk because Gov. Gavin Newsom and this legislature decided to grant a gift of public funds to illegal immigrants to cover their health insurance at taxpayer expense.”
“In my district, a family of four going on to the Covered California website has to pay $16,000 for their healthcare coverage, but an illegal immigrant is given 100% coverage through Medi-Cal at taxpayer expense,” continued DeMaio. “When this was proposed, Gov. Newsom claimed it would cost only $6.5 billion. He either was woefully ignorant as to fiscal realities or he lied to the public. Today we find it’s $10 billion and counting of taxpayer money to give free health care to illegal immigrants.”
DeMaio was removed from his budget committee position, which he says was retaliation, in part, for using a hearing to find out from the California Department of Finance that the state had spent $9.5 billion on health care for illegal immigrants.
DeMaio also took aim at the state’s high speed rail program, claiming the little track laid thus far is non-permanent “phony rail” put in place to remain eligible for federal funding.
“In 2008, voters were told it would be only $8 billion of taxpayer investment, and we would get a train that would go from LA to San Francisco. Today, $8 billion has turned into $130 billion and counting, and in fact, we need $7 billion just to prop the old girl up for the next twelve months,” said Demaio. “Not a single inch of real high speed rail has been laid. They have phony rail in Central Valley so they can continue to bilk federal grants, which, by the way, the $4 billion of federal grant funding is now under investigation by the secretary of transportation.”
A vote to allow the amendment to be voted upon failed without debate, with 18 yes votes and 51 no votes.
