Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter are filled with posts lamenting that the ongoing government shutdown is cutting off SNAP benefits and leaving children hungry. Liberal commentators and media outlets are blaming Republicans, accusing them of indifference toward struggling Americans.
What those critics fail to mention is that the shutdown occurred because Democrats refused to agree to spending cuts—particularly reductions to funding for illegal aliens. Claims that “children are going hungry” are also exaggerated. Only about 4 percent of U.S. households experience what’s called food insecurity, which is not the same as hunger. These households already qualify for federal assistance, meaning that actual hunger in America is extremely rare.
If Democrats were genuinely concerned about needy families, they would not have allowed the government to shut down in the first place.
Liberal media outlets argue that 89.4 percent of SNAP recipients are U.S.-born citizens, with less than 11 percent being foreign-born—6.2 percent naturalized citizens, 1.1 percent refugees, and 3.3 percent other non-citizens such as lawful permanent residents. They claim this proves Republicans are wrong to suggest that benefits are going to illegal immigrants. But that analysis overlooks a key point: the distinction between individual recipients and households.
Illegal-alien parents frequently use their U.S.-born children to qualify for federal assistance, and the numbers are enormous. More than half of all illegal-immigrant households include at least one U.S.-born child who enables the household to access aid. Nearly 2.7 million such households exist, and about 5.3 million U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants hold Social Security numbers. The estimated annual cost to taxpayers for providing SNAP benefits to these children is approximately $5.8 billion.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, data from the 2022 Survey of Income and Program Participation show that 54 percent of immigrant-headed households—including naturalized citizens, legal residents, and illegal aliens—use at least one major welfare program. By comparison, only 39 percent of U.S.-born households do so. Among non-citizens, the rate rises to 59 percent, and for illegal immigrants specifically, it remains roughly the same.
The American Enterprise Institute found that 59.4 percent of illegal-immigrant households receive welfare benefits, using nearly every major assistance program at higher rates than U.S.-born households, with few exceptions like SSI, TANF, and housing aid.
At the start of 2023, the total net cost of illegal immigration to the United States—across federal, state, and local levels—was estimated at $150.7 billion. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) reported that the federal government alone spent nearly $66.5 billion on illegal aliens, including $23 billion in medical costs and $11.6 billion in welfare benefits such as food stamps, child nutrition programs, and Supplemental Security Income.
One of the clearest examples of how generous welfare and immigration policies can collide is New York City—a city that may soon be led by self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who currently leads in the polls. Under President Biden’s 2021 American Rescue Plan, states received $350 billion in flexible federal funds. New York used part of that money to create a $2.1 billion fund for illegal immigrants, providing unemployment-style benefits to 290,000 people who each received the equivalent of $3,000 per week for job losses suffered during the pandemic—despite working illegally.
Between FY 2023 and FY 2026, New York City expects to spend over $8 billion on migrant-related expenses, including $3.75 billion in FY 2024 alone. The city also launched a $53 million debit card program, distributing cards to more than 7,300 migrants at a total cost of $2.6 million. Each card provided $12.52 per person per day for 28 days, with management fees paid to a private contractor.
In May 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul quietly expanded the state’s Safety Net Assistance eligibility rules, allowing non-citizens with pending asylum applications to receive up to $180 per person per month for two years—along with housing, transit, and utility benefits. Roughly 7,400 migrant and refugee households now receive these benefits, representing about 4 percent of all city cases.
Other programs—such as NYC Care—provide free or low-cost healthcare to residents regardless of immigration status, while additional services include free public schooling, school meals, ESL classes, and mental health programs.
Conservatives often state they don’t want welfare going to illegal immigrants. While liberals counter that welfare itself doesn’t go to illegal aliens directly, the truth is that many benefits do—whether through their U.S.-born children or through programs not labeled as “welfare.” A more accurate description is that illegal immigrants benefit from taxpayer-funded programs at virtually every level of government.
When all forms of spending are considered—education, healthcare, housing, and social services—the real cost to U.S. taxpayers is approximately $150 billion per year.
During the current government shutdown, President Trump has directed multiple federal agencies to conduct citizenship audits to ensure that taxpayer-funded programs are serving only those legally in the country. As these audits continue, the flow of benefits has been paused—highlighting precisely why Democrats’ refusal to cooperate on spending cuts has kept the government closed.