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Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to charge monthly premiums for undocumented immigrants and prevent new enrollees in the program as soon as January.
May 14, 2025, 9:00 a.m. ET
Gov. Gavin Newsom will call Wednesday for California to scale back health care for undocumented immigrants to help balance the state budget, retrenching on his desire to deliver “universal health care for all.”
The move comes days after the Trump administration targeted a different state-funded program for immigrants in California and signaled that it would continue to scrutinize benefits for undocumented individuals.
In a budget presentation on Wednesday, Mr. Newsom will propose freezing enrollment of undocumented adults in the state’s version of Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal, as soon as January. He also will seek to charge those who remain in the program $100 a month beginning in 2027. The governor estimates that the changes combined would save the state $5.4 billion by fiscal year 2028-29.
The cuts come as the Trump administration is using its federal powers to pressure Democratic-led states to eliminate benefits for undocumented immigrants. As she targeted a California cash aid program, Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, said Monday, “If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over.”
California faces a budget deficit this year because of stock market and economic volatility, as well as the potential for the federal government to curtail funding to states.
Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, blamed California’s shortfall partly on a projected $16 billion drop in tax revenues resulting from President Trump’s turbulent trade wars, saying the tariffs have weakened the state’s economy. He began referring to the impacts as a “Trump Slump.”
