Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced a wave of criticism online after weighing in on the ongoing government shutdown, which took effect at 12:01 a.m. after the Senate failed to pass two separate measures to keep the government open, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.
Both proposals required 60 votes to advance. A Republican-backed plan was defeated in a 55-45 vote, with Senator Rand Paul joining Democrats in opposition. Republicans have argued that Democrats prioritized funding for healthcare benefits for illegal aliens over keeping the government funded.
Clinton took to X to blame President Donald Trump for the shutdown.
“Trump wants to hold the government hostage until Democrats agree to raise health care costs for millions of Americans and give him more unchecked power,” she wrote. She concluded her post with, “But health care is a human right. And in America, we have no kings.”
Her comments quickly drew sharp pushback from social media users who pointed out her past positions on immigration and healthcare.
Many noted that Clinton once supported denying government-funded healthcare to illegal aliens, a stance that mirrored the current position of Trump and Senate Republicans.
Several users circulated a resurfaced video highlighted by Libs of TikTok, which showed Clinton during her time in public office testifying before Congress that extending healthcare to illegal workers would encourage more illegal immigration.
The reminders spread widely online, with users accusing Clinton of hypocrisy and inconsistency on the issue. While Clinton framed her remarks as a critique of Trump, opponents used her own record to push back against her claim that Republicans were undermining healthcare protections.
The shutdown, now underway, follows the collapse of negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans over key provisions, including healthcare funding and federal spending priorities.
According to officials, approximately 750,000 federal employees face daily furloughs during the shutdown, with losses projected in the hundreds of millions of dollars if the impasse continues.
Republicans have signaled that they remain open to negotiations but say they will not agree to expanded healthcare funding for illegal aliens. Trump, speaking earlier this week, said Democrats “put illegal immigrants ahead of American citizens” by refusing to compromise.
Clinton’s intervention in the debate has added fuel to the broader political fight, but her resurfaced comments from years ago remain at the center of the online backlash.
