WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) confronted Georgetown professor Andy Schneider at a Senate hearing Wednesday, pressing him on his position that undocumented immigrants should receive free emergency medical treatment in the United States.
Moreno deployed a pointed analogy. "If somebody broke into your home, would you make them dinner?" he asked Schneider.
Schneider, testifying before the committee, had advocated for providing such care, setting up Moreno's challenge. Moreno's question was aimed at the perceived burden on taxpayers when public services are extended to people who entered the country unlawfully.
Federal law requires hospitals to stabilize all patients regardless of immigration status, but the funding mechanisms for that care remain a source of sharp disagreement in Congress.
Moreno's position aligns with the Republican faction pushing for stricter border enforcement and reduced government spending on services for undocumented individuals. Schneider represents a view common in academia and among advocacy groups, emphasizing humanitarian and public health considerations.
The exchange is consistent with Moreno's style at the committee table. He previously questioned former public health official Dr. Anthony Fauci aggressively during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the COVID-19 response.
The disagreements over taxpayer-funded services for undocumented individuals remain a central obstacle to comprehensive immigration reform in Congress.
