Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., repeatedly sidestepped a question about whether she believed illegal immigrants should receive taxpayer-funded healthcare during a CNN town hall on Wednesday night.
Ocasio-Cortez, who continues to generate buzz as a possible 2028 presidential contender or a potential primary challenger to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., appeared alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to address questions about the ongoing government shutdown.
Jill Ireland, identified by CNN as a California Democrat who works in insurance, submitted a pre-taped question: “Do you think taxpayers should be paying for the medical care of immigrants who are in the country illegally?”
Ocasio-Cortez responded by calling out what she described as a “common lie” from Republicans who accuse Democrats of shutting down the government to provide free healthcare to illegal immigrants.
“We already know that it’s federal law and federal statute that undocumented people cannot be covered by the [Affordable Care Act], they cannot be covered by Medicaid, they cannot be covered by Medicare. Period. That is the law of the land. There are plenty of federal laws on the books now,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The “Squad” member then took aim at Vice President JD Vance, who she accused of “trafficking this other misconception” regarding th