House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has initiated an investigation into how the Biden Administration’s border policies have affected Medicaid programs. The Congressional Budget Office reports that more than $16.2 billion was spent by federal and state taxpayers on Medicaid-funded emergency services for illegal immigrants during the first three years of the Biden Administration.
Chairman Comer sent letters to eight governors and state health commissioners, requesting documents and communications regarding the expansion of Medicaid benefits for illegal immigrants. He also asked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to clarify a statement made during an Oversight Committee hearing, where Walz said illegal immigrants do not receive coverage under Minnesota’s Medicaid program.
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is continuing its oversight of the Biden Administration’s open-border policies, their devastating social and fiscal impact on American citizens, and critical federally funded health care programs and services. Specifically, the Committee is investigating waste, fraud and abuse in several Medicaid programs due to the Biden Administration’s failure to enforce U.S. immigration laws and the resulting expansion of benefits for illegal aliens. According to the Congressional Budget Office, federal and state taxpayers paid more than $16.2 billion to provide Medicaid-funded emergency services to illegal aliens during the first three years of the Biden Administration as a result of the influx,” wrote Chairman Comer to the governors and state health commissioners.
During a June 12, 2025 hearing titled “A Hearing with Sanctuary State Governors,” Governor Walz testified that illegal immigrants do not receive coverage under Minnesota Medicaid. However, Chairman Comer contends this statement may be misleading because Minnesota’s Medical Assistance (MA), Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA), and MinnesotaCare programs may share funds in ways that could allow federal dollars to cover illegal immigrants through MinnesotaCare.
The letters were addressed to leaders in California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Washington.
James Comer has represented Kentucky’s 1st district in Congress since 2016 after succeeding Ed Whitfield. Before his time in Congress, he served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2001 to 2012. Comer was born in Carthage, Tennessee in 1972 and currently lives in Tompkinsville. He graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1993.
