By Outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Representative Maxine Waters of California clashed with a reporter over Democratic priorities in the high-stakes fight to avoid a federal shutdown. The sharp exchange underscored the raw tensions surrounding negotiations on immigration and healthcare as Congress approached a midnight deadline and should serve as a reminder that illegal immigrants, by their own admission, are the Americans Democrats care about.
The House had already approved a measure extending government operations until November 21, but Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, demanded the bill preserve enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. That dispute placed healthcare access—potentially extending to undocumented immigrants—at the center of the standoff.
Alison Steinberg, a reporter for LindellTV, pressed Waters directly: “So you’re good with the government shutdown, even if it means giving health care to people who aren’t Americans?”
This is the whole ballgame on the government shutdown. Democrat Maxine Waters just admitted they want to fund healthcare for illegals which Dems are never supposed to actually admit on camera. Any shutdown will be rightfully hung on the Democrats now. pic.twitter.com/Lzp7noVwDO
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 30, 2025
Waters reacted with anger. “Well, you keep, that’s what you’re pushing on. What you’re trying to do is you’re standing here and you’re trying to make me say that somehow we’re going to put non-citizens over Americans. Quit it. Stop it. This is the kind of journalism we don’t need,” she said.
As Steinberg continued, Waters cut her off repeatedly. “You’re divisive. No, you’re not. You’re being divisive. No. Please. You don’t need to ask that question,” she declared. “You’re just trying to get controversy here. You’re not going to get it from me. We want to save health care for all people.”
When the reporter asked whether Democrats were prepared to put immigrant healthcare ahead of avoiding furloughs for American workers, Waters drew a hard line: “Excuse me. Stop it right there. We’re not prioritizing. What we’re doing is saying simply we want to keep the government open, and we want to work with the Republicans and have a bipartisan agreement to keep this government open, and health care is at the top of our agenda.”
The congresswoman then emphasized her party’s broader goal. “Democrats are demanding health care for everybody. We want to save lives. We want to make sure that health care is available to those who would die but having the help of their government.”
Waters wasn’t the only one who admitted that the Democrats were fighting to give healthcare to illegal immigrants. Ro Khanna accidentally let the cat out of the bag, as well, during an interview.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) finally admits that money Democrats are asking for they intend to give to illegals.
The mask is off.pic.twitter.com/9PSpdfqdsH
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) October 1, 2025
The clash highlighted how negotiations been driven by the Democratic obsession with giving illegal immigrants healthcare at the expense of Americans. Democrats today are merely saying what they have been promising for years. In 2020, Democrats all prioritized granting free healthcare to the undocumented.
Talks between President Trump and congressional leaders earlier in the week collapsed without agreement. By Tuesday evening, Trump had canceled a planned Friday meeting with top Democrats, dismissing their proposals as unserious.
With the House bill now before the Senate—and a 60-vote threshold standing in the way—the confrontation between Waters and Steinberg became a vivid display of the partisan brinkmanship threatening to push the federal government into paralysis.
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