Representative Wesley Hunt (R-TX) is calling for a sweeping federal effort to identify and deport approximately 1.4 million undocumented immigrants currently receiving Medicaid benefits, according to letters he sent this week to top federal officials.
In correspondence obtained by Fox News Digital, Rep. Hunt urged Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (R) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) to form a joint task force to address what he described as a massive abuse of taxpayer-funded healthcare.
“While Democrats in Congress continue to peddle falsehoods and fearmongering 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,” Rep. Hunt said in a statement.
Rep. Hunt's proposal comes amid high-stakes negotiations over President Donald Trump’s (R) sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes language to bar undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid. That language, however, was struck from the bill Thursday by the Senate parliamentarian, who ruled it ineligible for inclusion under budget reconciliation rules.
Still, GOP lawmakers are working to revise the provision in hopes of reinserting it into the final version. Hunt insists the issue should be addressed regardless of the bill’s outcome.
“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 said.
In his letter, Hunt outlines a strategy for coordination between DHS and CMS to detect undocumented Medicaid recipients using available data.
“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,” he wrote.
The push from Hunt reflects growing pressure within the Republican conference to address the intersection of immigration enforcement and entitlement spending, especially as negotiations over the Big Beautiful Bill continue.
It remains unclear how DHS and CMS will respond to Hunt’s proposal, or whether the administration will act unilaterally if the legislative pathway collapses. But Hunt says identifying and removing undocumented Medicaid recipients is non-negotiable.
