Oregon citizens just learned the massive illegal alien shell game that will take down their state government

Oregon Democrats just exposed what they really care about.

The numbers are so lopsided that even liberal voters should be outraged.

And now citizens in Oregon are learning of the massive illegal alien shell game that will take down their state government.

Oregon spends twice as much on illegal alien healthcare as state police

Oregon is about to spend $1.5 billion providing free healthcare to illegal aliens over the next two years.¹

That’s more than double the $717 million budgeted for the Oregon State Police over the same period.²

Read that again – Oregon Democrats decided that healthcare for people who broke federal law to enter the country matters more than funding the cops who protect Oregon families.

The program, originally called "Cover All People" and now renamed the "Healthier Oregon Program," started in 2021 with a $100 million cap.³

Four years later, costs have exploded by 1,100% as the program spiraled completely out of control.⁴

Enrollment hit 93,000 people – nearly double the projected 55,000 – creating a $260 million budget shortfall last October.⁵

But Oregon Governor Tina Kotek refuses to make cuts like other Democrat governors are doing.

"When someone doesn’t have health insurance, they’re going to still seek health care, often in the emergency department," Kotek said.⁶

That’s the standard liberal talking point that ignores one critical fact – these aren’t American citizens they’re talking about.

Other blue states finally admit these programs are budget-busters

Here’s what Oregon Democrats don’t want you to know.

Three other deep blue states that launched similar programs are now desperately trying to cut them back because the costs are unsustainable.

California’s program for illegal aliens ran $2.7 billion over budget, forcing Governor Gavin Newsom to freeze new enrollments and start charging premiums.⁷

Illinois saw costs explode 286% beyond expectations, contributing to a $3.2 billion state deficit, and ended coverage for immigrants ages 42-64.⁸

Minnesota watched enrollment triple projections and voted to end adult illegal alien eligibility starting in 2026 as the state faces a $6 billion deficit.⁹

Even these radical leftist governors finally admitted reality – you can’t provide unlimited free healthcare to the entire world and expect taxpayers to foot the bill forever.

Oregon stands alone as the only state still charging full speed ahead with this fiscal disaster.

The accounting trick that makes it even worse

The federal government officially bars illegal aliens from receiving Medicaid benefits.

But Oregon found a creative workaround that should infuriate taxpayers even more.

The state imposes "taxes" on Medicaid insurers and providers, then uses those taxes to draw down federal matching dollars without federal restrictions.¹⁰

They collect the federal money, return the taxed amounts to the institutions, and pocket the federal match to spend on illegal aliens.

It’s an accounting shell game designed to extract federal taxpayer dollars while violating the spirit of federal law.

About 25% of Oregon’s illegal alien healthcare spending comes from federal sources through these gimmicks.¹¹

So not only are Oregon taxpayers getting hammered – you’re helping fund it through your federal taxes too.

This exposes the real Democrat agenda on the shutdown

Democrats keep insisting the government shutdown isn’t about healthcare for illegal aliens.

They claim Republicans are lying about their priorities.

Oregon just proved them wrong.

Congressional Democrats are demanding that any budget deal include provisions to dismantle barriers preventing Medicaid dollars from flowing to illegal aliens.¹²

President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July included reforms to end these accounting gimmicks and reduce federal support for states that provide illegal alien healthcare.¹³

Democrats want to undo all of it as the price for reopening the government.

Oregon’s budget proves exactly what they’re fighting for – the ability to spend billions on illegal aliens while law enforcement gets shortchanged.

This isn’t about compassion or emergency care.

It’s about Oregon Democrats – and the entire Democrat Party – believing illegal aliens deserve more taxpayer support than the police who protect American citizens.

Oregon became the nation’s first sanctuary state in 1987, divorcing state law enforcement from federal immigration laws.¹⁴

They made healthcare for illegal aliens their top budget priority even as enrollment doubled projections and costs exploded.

And they’re sticking with this disaster even as California, Illinois, and Minnesota finally admitted these programs don’t work.

That tells you everything you need to know about where the Democrat Party stands when it comes to illegal immigration.

They’d rather defund the police than cut off benefits to people who shouldn’t be here in the first place.

Oregon taxpayers are learning a hard lesson about what happens when radical leftists control your state government.

The rest of America should pay attention – because national Democrats want to do the same thing to the entire country.

¹ Emily Kopp, "Oregon Now Spends More On Program Offering Free Health Care For Illegal Immigrants Than State Police," Daily Caller, October 13, 2025.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Oregon Journalism Project, "Undocumented Health Care," accessed October 15, 2025.

⁷ NPR, "These Democratic governors are trying to curb health care for unauthorized immigrants," May 18, 2025.

⁸ Minnesota Senate Republicans, "Minnesota Senate votes to end free, taxpayer-funded health care for adult illegal immigrants," June 2025.

⁹ Ibid.

¹⁰ Emily Kopp, "Oregon Now Spends More On Program Offering Free Health Care For Illegal Immigrants Than State Police," Daily Caller, October 13, 2025.

¹¹ Ibid.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Ibid.

¹⁴ Oregon Journalism Project, "Undocumented Health Care," accessed October 15, 2025.