On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) responded to a question on whether he supports tens of thousands of people in the country illegally getting Medicaid in Maryland by saying that “I’m very much okay with the idea that we have to be able to fix a completely broken immigration system.”
Host Bret Baier asked, [relevant exchange begins around 6:25] “There’s a story in The Washington Post today about the one big beautiful bill and its impact on Maryland, and specifically on Medicaid. And in there, it says at least 60,000 immigrant enrollees, including refugees [and asylum seekers] who are covered in Maryland will lose coverage because of the new rules. … Are you okay with tens of thousands of illegal immigrants getting Medicaid in your state?”
Moore responded, “What I know is that with the big, beautiful bill, we’re going to — about a quarter of a million people are about to lose their health care. What I know is that, from that bill, about a quarter of a billion dollars is now about to get cut from rural hospitals inside of the state of Maryland –.”
Baier then cut in to follow up, “I hear you, but I’m asking about this. They’re trying to clean these rolls from illegal immigrants getting Medicaid. Are you okay with illegal immigrants getting Medicaid?”
Moore responded, “I’m very much okay with the idea that we have to be able to fix a completely broken immigration system.”
Baier then cut in to follow up, “But we are where we are. We don’t have a comprehensive bill. We don’t have that. But they’re trying to clean the rolls here.”
Moore responded, “But that becomes my point, is that we’re continuing to watch these patchwork solutions, which, frankly, end up having really difficult consequences for our states and our jurisdictions, because we’re not actually having a comprehensive immigration plan. If we have a comprehensive immigration plan, then we don’t have to continue doing these patchwork frameworks that, frankly, have a lot of downward repercussions on a lot of our states and our economies.”
Baier then said, “I’m not going to press this more. But if the big beautiful bill hadn’t happened, those 60,000 illegal immigrants would still be on Medicaid in Maryland, and you would be okay with that.”
Moore responded, “We would — we still need to have comprehensive immigration reform, regardless — because what I know from the big, beautiful bill is, we are now trying to figure out 250,000 people who are about to lose their health care, how they are going to be supported, knowing that no state has the resources to be able to do that. And so, — but instead of putting together a comprehensive immigration reform package, which was the priority and which was the stated priority of the administration coming onboard, to do it this way, frankly, does not really require or have the type of intellectual rigor that people are hoping for.”
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