California governor proposes pause to illegal immigrants' health care coverage

ISTANBUL

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday proposed a moratorium on enrolling more undocumented immigrants in state-funded health care benefits in 2026, citing economic uncertainty.

Newsom outlined California's $332 billion spending plan, revealing that the state is facing a $12 billion budget deficit, according to CBS News.

"California is under assault," Newsom said. "We have a president that's been reckless in terms of assaulting those growth engines."

The decision, announced before Wednesday's budget revision presentation, is driven by the program's higher-than-expected cost and economic uncertainty caused by federal tariff policies, Newsom said.

"No state has done more than the state of California, no state will continue to do more than the state of California by a long shot. And that's a point of pride," he was quoted by the broadcaster as saying.

California's push to provide free health care to all low-income adults, regardless of immigration status, was announced in late 2023. Newsom touted the planned expansion as "a transformative step towards strengthening the health care system for all Californians."

The cost, however, has exceeded the state's initial $6.4 billion estimate by more than $2 billion.