Three of the Democratic Party‘s highest-profile governors—California’s Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ JB Pritzker and Minnesota’s Tim Walz—are taking a page from President Donald Trump‘s playbook by rolling back public health care for undocumented immigrants.
All three governors have greenlit proposals to freeze, cap or eliminate health benefits for noncitizens without legal status, citing budget shortfalls. The policy reversals, which will impact tens of thousands of people in some of the country’s most immigrant-heavy states, come as each leader is widely viewed as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
In Illinois, a program that provided publicly funded health coverage to over 30,000 undocumented adults ended July 1. Governor JB Pritzker included the cut in his latest state budget, telling it was a “difficult decision” forced by national economic headwinds.
“This year, passing a balanced budget required the difficult decision that reflects the reality of Trump and Republicans tanking our national economy and attempting to strip away healthcare,” Pritzker’s office told Newsweek, referencing prior comments made by the governor.
Eliminating the program for middle-aged adults is projected to save the general revenue fund about $330 million, according to the governor’s office.
Minnesota followed shortly after. A bipartisan bill passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Tim Walz removed undocumented adults from MinnesotaCare, the state-run insurance program for low-income residents.
“No one got everything they wanted,” Walz said after the compromise was finalized in a special session. “There were very difficult conversations… but at the end of the day, we were able to come to this agreement”.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has frequently spoken about health equity, unveiled a plan in May to cap new enrollment for undocumented adults in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. While those currently enrolled will not lose coverage, they will face new costs—including a $100 monthly premium starting in 2027—and cuts to dental services.
“We are not cutting or rolling back those that are already enrolled in our Medi-Cal system, we’re just capping it,” Newsom said on July. “No state has done more than the state of California… That’s a point of pride”.
More than 120 organizations signed an open letter condemning Newsom’s Medi-Cal cuts, calling them more harmful than the health care changes included in Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and spending bill.
‘Not Just Tone’
Newsom, Pritzker, and Walz are widely seen as potential candidates for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. A Morning Consult poll from April showed Newsom with 11 percent support among Democratic primary voters, tied with Pete Buttigieg and behind only Kamala Harris.
An Echelon Insights poll also showed Newsom at 6 percent, Pritzker at 2 percent, and Walz around 3 percent. All three have increased their national visibility, with Newsom and Pritzker making appearances in early primary states.
But critics say the three Democrats are courting political optics at the expense of vulnerable residents.
“These governors may be known for their sharp anti-Trump rhetoric, but their recent policy choices echo the very worst aspects of his administration: using immigrants—particularly those without the right to vote—as economic scapegoats,” wrote Jim Mangia, president of St. John’s Community Health, in a column for The Hill.
Public health experts have long argued that covering undocumented residents reduces costs by avoiding more expensive emergency room visits and stabilizing community health care systems. Mangia cited a University of Chicago study showing state-run immigrant coverage had created cost savings for Illinois hospitals.
Immigrant rights organizations have condemned the changes. “Terminating state coverage for immigrants will compromise our collective health, as well as the health care infrastructure that serves all of us,” Tanya Broder, senior counsel at the National Immigration Law Center, told NBC News.
Progressive groups have warned the cuts risk alienating the Democratic base. “This assumption that by moving more to the middle or to the right that you’re going to recruit some people back—I think it’s a miscalculation,” Jennifer Driver of State Innovation Exchange told NBC. “The frustration that you’re seeing in the Democratic base is due to this kind of waffling”.
Meanwhile, Republicans have seized on the reversals. In Colorado, GOP members of Congress have called on Democratic Governor Jared Polis to roll back health care programs for undocumented residents, citing the actions in California, Minnesota and Illinois.
“Every dollar that Colorado hands out for free health care for illegal immigrants is money that can’t be spent on seniors and rural hospitals,” a spokesperson for Republican Rep. Gabe Evans told Newsweek.
For now, Newsom, Pritzker and Walz say they are juggling competing priorities while trying to balance their budgets. But immigrant advocates warn the damage could be lasting—both for vulnerable residents and for Democrats trying to distinguish themselves from Trump on policy, not just tone.
“These cuts are not just cruel—they are economically shortsighted,” Mangia wrote. “We need leaders who will fight to expand care—not slash it”.
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