Law & Principles

Big, beautiful reform: Keep illegal aliens off Oklahoma’s welfare rolls

November 11, 2025

Staff

Gregg Pfister of the Foundation for Government Accountability has published a new memorandum titled “How Oklahoma Can Implement President Trump’s Big, Beautiful Agenda.” Here are a couple of important reforms that stand out. Gov. Kevin Stitt and state lawmakers must take action. 

Prohibit Illegal Aliens from Accessing Medicaid

Oklahoma’s limited Medicaid resources should be focused on citizens and lawful residents who are eligible, not diverted to those here illegally. Lawmakers should align state law with the One, Big, Beautiful Bill by prohibiting illegal aliens from qualifying for Medicaid benefits. In addition, the legislature should restrict “qualified alien” status to include only lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian refugees, and individuals lawfully present under the Compact of Free Association. Oklahoma should also mandate that welfare agencies, including the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, refer all illegal aliens applying for or utilizing Medicaid benefits to appropriate federal authorities.

Lawmakers should also require hospitals and other medical providers making presumptive eligibility determinations for Medicaid to include an immigration status attestation on every application. Presumptive eligibility was initially intended as a narrow safeguard to provide temporary coverage for eligible pregnant women while their full applications were processed. However, due to provisions from ObamaCare, illegal aliens have been able to enroll in temporary coverage without proper verification. In some cases, hospitals enroll individuals simply by asking them about their income and relying on a verbal response, creating an open door to fraud and abuse.

Strengthening standards for presumptive eligibility is critical to protect Medicaid, stop fraud before it starts, and ensure taxpayer dollars are going to people who are actually eligible under law.

Prohibit Illegal Aliens from Receiving Food Stamps

President Trump and Congress are standing up for Oklahomans by making it clear that illegal aliens should never be eligible to receive food stamps. Oklahoma should further align with federal law by codifying requirements in which the department must verify that an applicant is a citizen or has satisfactory immigration status during the application process, and frequently cross-check food stamp enrollment data against citizenship and immigration records, like the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. If OKDHS determines that an applicant or enrollee is not a citizen or does not have an acceptable immigration status, the department should be required to refer the individual's information to law enforcement for further investigation, prosecution, and deportation.

Additionally, Oklahoma lawmakers should prohibit the use of a loophole that lets households with illegal aliens qualify for food stamps despite having total incomes above the federal limits. Currently, only a prorated portion of an ineligible member’s income is counted toward eligibility. That means if an illegal alien is in a mixed-status household—such as a household with illegal alien parents and children provided citizenship through birthright—and has income greater than the standard income limits, only a fraction of that is considered. This not only wastes taxpayer dollars, but it also rewards households that hide behind immigration status technicalities in order to receive food stamps. Oklahoma should require the department to count the full income and assets of every household member, eligible or not, so benefits go only to those who genuinely qualify.