GOP spat halts OK benefit measures

Alexia Aston

The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK

Trump-backed rules aim at ineligible aid seekers

Oklahoma’s Republican Senate leader has refused to consider Trumpbacked bills that he says could deter undocumented mothers from applying for government assistance on behalf of their U.S.-born children.

Two controversial measures that would’ve had undocumented immigrants reported to federal authorities if they tried to receive government assistance have died after the did not receive a hearing in the Senate before a crucial deadline Thursday, April 23. The situation put the two most powerful Republicans in the Capitol at odds over two contentious issues – immigration and the right to life. It also showed that even in deep red Oklahoma, where voters in every county voted for President Donald Trump three times, some GOP lawmakers are willing to push back against federal politics.

House Bills 4422 and 4423 were authored by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, who said the measures came at the request of the White House. Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said the White House is just one place Oklahoma lawmakers take input from, adding that there are already laws in place that restrict undocumented immigrants from accessing government assistance programs.

Paxton said that he’s worried about the potential harm the bills would create for children regardless of whether their parents are legal residents.

“Right now, whether that baby is being carried by an American citizen or not, to me it’s still a baby, and there’s a baby in a womb that needs to be protected,” Paxton said. “I think the legislation, the way it is, would have scared people away from the services that are available to make sure that mother is able to take care of herself and be healthy to make sure that baby’s healthy.”

The demise of the two bills follows a complicated and contentious history of the legislation that initially sought to require the state agencies in charge of SNAP and Medicaid to report undocumented parents with children who are U.S. citizens if they apply for benefits on behalf of their kids.

Hilbert amended HB 4422 to nix that provision on Feb. 4 just before it was heard in the House Children, Youth and Family Services Committee. He did the same to HB 4423 just before it was heard in committee on Feb. 19.

Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, DOklahoma City, led the House Democratic Caucus’ efforts to combat the bill, which included closed-door conversations with Hilbert. Sandoval, who’s part of the Oklahoma Legislative Latino Caucus, told The Oklahoman he was grateful Hilbert amended the bills, though he believed they would still push people away from applying for benefits.

In their latest form, the bills would have required Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services and Health Care Authority to verify the immigration status of SNAP and Medicaid applicants using the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Systematic Alien Verification of Entitlements (SAVE) system.

The SAVE system was originally built to check whether someone qualifies for such benefits, including Medicaid, but since retaking office, Trump

“If it’s being separated from your family or don’t apply for benefits ... then they’re going to choose to be with their loved ones.” Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval

has expanded the program to allow it to check against Americans’ Social Security numbers as he seeks to build a nationwide citizenship verification program.

Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP or Medicaid, but parents of children born in the U.S. can apply for services on behalf of their kids who are U.S. citizens.

Sandoval said some constituents had told him they’ve refrained from applying for their children because of what they’re hearing from the Oklahoma Capitol. He said these working-class families do not have the time to track legislation, so they’re making decisions based off of what they’re hearing.

“In the way they’re seeing it, they’re like, ‘Well, if I apply for these benefits, there’s a chance that I might be separated from my family,’” Sandoval said. “If it’s being separated from your family or don’t apply for benefits ... then they’re going to choose to be with their loved ones. They’re going to choose to be with their kids. They’re not even going to risk it.”

In February, Hilbert said that’s the risk undocumented parents take.

“If you’re here and you’re not an American citizen, and you’re still going to apply to be a recipient of taxpayerfunded welfare, then that’s a risk you take,” he said.

The bills passed the House along party lines in February after Hilbert told representatives to stand if they believed “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens.”

Hilbert’s statement repeats a line from Trump’s State of the Union address. Democrats remained seated, and one shouted, “That’s bull**** and you know it.”

To reach the governor’s desk, the bills would’ve had to have been heard in a Senate committee before April 23.

In response to Paxton’s concerns, Hilbert said welfare programs have not substantially improved hunger rates in the U.S. Studies have shown programs like SNAP are linked with improved food security, better health outcomes and lower health care costs.

“When LBJ passed the Great Society and all these welfare programs, it’s pretty cool how no child’s been hungry ever since that happened, right? No,” Hilbert said. “These Medicaid programs, SNAP programs, obviously there are people who benefit from them, but they have not been the cure-all for society’s woes.” More than 15% of Oklahoma households are food insecure, compared to the national household food insecurity rate of 13.5%, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the state’s poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, making Oklahoma the eighth-poorest state in the nation.

When asked whether he believes hunger rates would not be affected if food assistance programs were eliminated, Hilbert said, “My logic is if you’re not an American citizen, you should not receive welfare.”

He said he was disappointed in the Senate’s decision to let the bills die, but he plans to bring them back up before the end of the legislative session and hopes the Senate will reconsider.

Paxton said he spoke with lawmakers across the aisle amid the controversy over the bills, including Sen. Michael Brooks-Jiménez. Brooks, an Oklahoma City Democrat, also serves on the Oklahoma Legislative Latino Caucus and operates a law firm with a focus immigration.

Brooks said as a person of faith, he feels mandated to feed the hungry. He called the expiration of House Bills 4422 and 4423 a victory because Washington, D.C. failed to dictate how the state of Oklahoma treats its residents.

“We’re very proud to have the Oklahoma Standard, and part of that includes taking care of our own,” Brooks said. “These people who are here working and raising families, they are some of our own.”

“These Medicaid programs, SNAP programs, obviously there are people who benefit from them, but they have not been the cure-all for society’s woes.”

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert

R-Bristow

Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, refused to consider Trump-backed bills by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, saying they could deter undocumented mothers from seeking aid for their U.S.-born children.

DOUG

HOKE/THEOKLAHOMAN