By Sarah Roderick-Fitch | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is launching an investigation into the “impact of the Biden Border Crisis” on Medicaid, saying it cost taxpayers billions.

As part of the investigation, committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has sent letters to eight Democratic governors and state health commissioners seeking documents and communications regarding their “unprecedented expansion of taxpayer funded Medicaid benefits and services for illegal aliens,” citing figures from the Congressional Budget Office that show taxpayers spent more than $16.2 billion on Medicaid-funded emergency services “for illegal aliens during the first three years of the Biden Administration.”

In the letters, Comer underscored that the purpose of the investigation is to uncover instances of fraud and abuse within Medicaid regarding Biden’s handling of the border crisis during his administration.

“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,” Comer wrote.

In addition, the chairman is asking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to “clarify” comments he made during an oversight committee hearing with ‘sanctuary’ state governors in June, claiming that “illegal aliens” didn’t receive Medicaid coverage in his state.

“During an exchange in the hearing, Governor Walz testified that illegal immigrants do not receive coverage under Minnesota Medicaid. Governor Walz’s statement is likely misleading based on the programmatic relationships between Minnesota’s Medicaid program, also known as Medical Assistance (MA), its counterpart Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA), and the MinnesotaCare program. Minnesota has co-mingled funds for the EMA and MinnesotaCare programs potentially enabling federal funds to cover illegal aliens under the MinnesotaCare program,” according to a release from the committee.

In February, The Center Square reported that the State of California was spending $9.5 billion on health care for undocumented immigrants as part of its 2024-2025 budget.

In addition to Walz, Comer sent letters to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson.

Comer is requesting that documents and communications regarding the investigation spanning from Jan. 1, 2019, to the present be returned to the committee no later than Sept. 17.