(VitalNews.org) – The liberal agenda has been dealt a crushing blow as a federal court blocked the Biden administration’s blatant attempt to expand Obamacare benefits to illegal aliens.
U.S. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor temporarily blocked a rule that would have allowed DACA recipients, often referred to as “Dreamers,” to access health coverage under the Affordable Care Act in 19 states.
This ruling marks a major victory for conservative states fighting against expanding government benefits to non-citizens.
The court’s decision comes after a lawsuit filed by Texas and 18 other states against the federal government.
Judge Traynor found that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) overstepped its authority.
CMS attempted to redefine “lawfully present” to include DACA recipients, effectively bypassing Congress’s role in determining eligibility for federal benefits.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who led the charge against this expansion, praised the ruling for upholding the rule of law.
Kobach stated:
“This decision is a big win for the rule of law. Congress never intended that illegal aliens should receive Obamacare benefits. Indeed, two laws prohibit them from receiving such benefits. The Biden administration tried to break those laws. But we fought back and defeated the Biden Justice Department.”
The Biden administration’s rule, announced in May, sought to allow an estimated 100,000 DACA recipients to enroll in Obamacare health plans and receive financial assistance.
This move was part of a broader agenda to expand government benefits to non-citizens, even though Congress clearly intended to limit such benefits to lawful residents.
“The authority granted to CMS by the ACA is to ascertain whether an individual meets the requirements for lawful status. It by no means allows the agency to circumvent congressional authority and redefine the term ‘lawfully present,'” Judge Traynor wrote in his ruling.
The ruling aligns with President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown plans, which include ending birthright citizenship and reviving previous border policies.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also celebrated the court’s decision, highlighting the importance of protecting taxpayer resources.
“Today, we prevented yet another attempt by the Biden Administration to spend our hard-earned tax dollars on radically unpopular policies that put illegal aliens ahead of” American citizens, Paxton remarked.
The states involved in the lawsuit argued that expanding Obamacare coverage to DACA recipients would impose additional administrative and resource burdens on their healthcare systems.
While immigration advocacy groups argue that healthcare access would reduce disparities among DACA recipients, this ruling reinforces that such policy decisions must be made by Congress, not by executive agencies.
Copyright 2024, VitalNews.org
