The Republican Party’s latest big lie is that Democrats are demanding taxpayer funded health care for undocumented immigrants. Alaska’s Senator Dan Sullivan has repeated this falsehood, knowing it is not true. Sullivan has chosen to stand shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Speaker Mike Johnson in pushing a deliberate deception. The aim is not to inform but to inflame, not to solve problems but to score points, not to serve the people of Alaska but to serve a party line.
The facts are not in dispute. Federal law prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid or ACA subsidies. Democrats have not proposed overturning this law. What they seek is the continuation of ACA tax credits, the reversal of Republican cuts to Medicaid, and the preservation of health care protections for citizens and lawfully present immigrants. No one is asking to provide federal health care benefits to undocumented immigrants. Yet Sullivan repeats this lie because it suits his politics.
This tactic exposes a collapse of moral and ethical character. Instead of telling Alaskans the truth, Sullivan recycles a false narrative that portrays immigrants as scapegoats while ignoring the real victims of Republican policy—American families facing higher costs and lost coverage. When elected leaders knowingly distort facts, they abandon honesty and betray the trust of the people they represent.
Trump, Vance, Johnson, and Sullivan insist Democrats want to give away free health care to illegal immigrants. Conservative media amplifies it endlessly. But this lie falls apart under scrutiny. Democrats are fighting for affordability and access for American citizens. Republicans are manufacturing fear to cover up their own record of cuts and neglect. Sullivan’s role is especially shameful because he knows better.
Why repeat the lie? Because Republicans want voters angry at a phantom enemy instead of angry at them. The lie distracts from Medicaid cuts, exploding premiums, and the harm done to ordinary Americans. It gives Sullivan and his colleagues a talking point while families across Alaska struggle with the cost of health care. It is easier for him to blame immigrants than to defend Republican policies that make health care more expensive.
The truth versus the lie could not be clearer. Democrats want to protect ACA subsidies and reverse harmful Medicaid cuts. Sullivan and his party claim Democrats want to prioritize undocumented immigrants over citizens. This is not a misunderstanding. It is a calculated, deliberate lie.
Polls show that most Americans are not fooled. A Washington Post survey found a majority blame Republicans for the shutdown and overwhelming support exists for extending ACA subsidies. A KFF Health Tracking Poll shows Americans favor keeping or increasing Medicaid funding. Sullivan may be able to rile up partisan crowds with his big lie, but the larger public is not persuaded.
The Republican reliance on lies is short sighted. It may work inside the echo chamber, but it erodes credibility with moderates and independents. Democrats are countering with facts and with clarity. They are reminding voters that this shutdown is about protecting the health care of millions of Americans, not about subsidizing illegal immigration. The more Republicans lie, the weaker their position becomes.
For Sullivan, the long term cost will be measured in lost trust. Every time he repeats this lie, he chips away at his own credibility. Alaskans will remember who stood up for them and who chose to deceive them. By siding with Trump’s falsehoods, Sullivan has chosen politics over truth and party loyalty over honesty.
The people of Alaska should reject this manipulation. Sullivan does not have the courage to tell you the truth: that Democrats are fighting to keep health care affordable for you, not for undocumented immigrants. If your senator cannot make a case without lying, then he does not deserve your confidence.
