ICE, DOGE seek Medicare data in immigration crackdown: Report

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, along with the Department of Government Efficiency

DOGE, are looking to tap into Medicare's database in an effort to vet out people in the country

illegally who may have found their way into the benefits system. According to the Washington Post

the agency's request for access is still under review. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

Services, or CMS, is reportedly being asked to compare Social Security numbers ICE officials

say are being used by undocumented migrants with claims in the Medicare system to ensure they are

not on Medicaid. The database includes personal details, home addresses, and billing information

for Medicare beneficiaries. While some undocumented immigrants are allowed to get a Social Security

number for work in the U.S., they are not eligible for Medicare and Medicaid benefits

As of early April, CMS has not confirmed to news outlets' requests whether any data was shared

The request comes after President Trump issued a memorandum this week calling for a tougher crackdown on illegal benefit claims

The plan creates a new task force to prosecute fraud within Medicare and Medicaid

and expands existing enforcement tools within the Social Security Administration. So where does DOGE come into play in this

The DOGE initiative led by Elon Musk has been pushing to eliminate fraud in federal entitlement programs Republicans have leaned on Doge efforts to shrink federal waste and spending

while Democrats have raised concerns about outside entities accessing sensitive government data in that process

Musk spoke to Fox Business about the amount of fraud he believes Doge will be able to gut out

I mean, the waste report in entitlement spending, which is most of the federal spending is entitlements

So that's like the big one to eliminate. That's the sort of half trillion, maybe 600, 700 billion a year

The White House gave The Post a statement for their report of ICE and DOGE's collaboration

saying the efforts reflect Trump's pledge to protect Medicare for eligible beneficiaries

intermediaries. Thanks for watching our news update. In line with this story

Republicans are also pushing to identify fraud within Medicaid as part of their new federal

budget proposal. But that plan has sparked a deep partisan divide over if benefits along with fraud

will be cut from the Medicaid program. That's the focus of this week's Bias Breakdown podcast

where we take a closer look at how different media outlets are covering the Medicaid debate

and how political bias is shaping the narrative. You can listen to this week's episode now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, among other podcast platforms