In a dramatic late-night session, Senate Democrats thwarted a Republican push to eliminate taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits for illegal immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping legislative package.
According to the Daily Caller, the contentious vote, which unfolded during a marathon "vote-a-rama" session on Monday, underscored deep partisan divides over immigration and healthcare policy within Trump's comprehensive tax and immigration bill.
The amendment, introduced by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, aimed to cut federal Medicaid payments to states that provide healthcare coverage to illegal immigrants charged or convicted of serious crimes. The proposal sought to penalize states offering such benefits by reducing their federal funding match, a move that stirred significant debate on the Senate floor. Despite garnering some bipartisan support, the measure fell short of the required 60-vote threshold, ending with a 56-44 tally.
Four Democrats—Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, and Jon Ossoff of Georgia crossed party lines to back Cornyn’s amendment. Ossoff, seen as a vulnerable incumbent facing reelection, joined his colleagues in a rare show of bipartisan agreement on this issue. On the other side, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, known for her reservations about certain Medicaid reforms in Trump’s bill, voted against the amendment alongside most Democrats.
The vote occurred during a "vote-a-rama," an intense period of rapid-fire amendment voting designed to finalize the bill before its ultimate passage. This procedural mechanism allows senators to propose and vote on numerous amendments, often stretching late into the night as they shape the legislation. Trump’s landmark bill, which combines tax reforms with immigration policies, could see a Senate vote on final passage as early as Monday evening.
Cornyn’s amendment faced additional hurdles after Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that it violated budget reconciliation rules, a process Republicans are using to pass the bill with a simple majority.
Provisions struck by MacDonough require a higher 60-vote threshold, necessitating some Democratic backing to be included in the final legislation. Cornyn, who is seeking a fifth term and faces a tough primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2026, remained defiant despite the setback.
“[Forty-three] Democrats just BLOCKED my amendment to punish states that give Medicaid benefits to illegal aliens convicted or charged with crimes like murder or sex trafficking,” Cornyn stated on the social media platform X.
“Democrats chose to side with the worst of the worst in our society over our seniors and most vulnerable American citizens. Disgusting,” he added in the same post. Earlier, on Thursday, Cornyn had expressed frustration with procedural barriers, saying he would not let an “unelected Senate staffer” hinder Republican policy goals.
Leading the Democratic opposition, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., argued that the amendment would unfairly harm American citizens by slashing federal funding to states that expanded Medicaid.
“This is a backdoor [elimination] for 41 states, which includes the majority of Republican states, to reduce the federal match from 90% to 80% with huge, huge impact on the coverage of individuals across this country,” Merkley said during the Senate debate. “What happened to states’ rights,” he questioned, defending states that provide healthcare to undocumented individuals.
In a related move, Democrats also rejected a separate amendment by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., which sought to prevent illegal immigrants from accessing state-funded Medicaid programs. This series of votes highlights the broader Republican strategy to curb benefits for undocumented individuals within Trump’s legislative framework. The consistent Democratic resistance illustrates the stark ideological divide on how federal and state resources should be allocated in healthcare policy.
President Trump has set an ambitious deadline of July 4 for the bill to reach his desk for signature, adding pressure to the ongoing Senate deliberations. The use of budget reconciliation by Republicans aims to bypass Democratic filibusters, allowing passage with just 51 votes in the evenly divided chamber. However, amendments like Cornyn’s, which fall outside reconciliation protections, remain vulnerable to the higher vote threshold and partisan gridlock.
As the Senate inches closer to a final vote, the outcome of Trump’s domestic policy package remains uncertain amidst these contentious amendment battles. The combination of tax reforms and immigration measures in the bill continues to fuel heated discussions on Capitol Hill. With the "vote-a-rama" session ongoing, more amendments and debates are expected before the legislation takes its final shape for a full Senate vote.