Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders
Directs every federal agency to identify and eliminate benefit programs accessible to undocumented immigrants, and tasks OMB and the DOGE Service with mapping all remaining federal funding flowing to undocumented individuals within 30 days.
Establishes a government-wide review aimed at enforcing existing restrictions in the 1996 welfare reform law, which agencies the order says have been systematically undermined over recent decades.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs the head of every federal executive department and agency to identify all federally funded benefit programs — cash and non-cash — that currently allow undocumented immigrants to receive benefits, and to take all appropriate steps to align those programs with federal law, including the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). It also directs agencies to ensure that federal payments to states and localities do not facilitate or promote illegal immigration or support so-called sanctuary policies, and to strengthen eligibility verification systems to block ineligible recipients.
The order directs agencies to refer any improper receipt or use of federal benefits to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for action. It does not itself modify any eligibility rule, create a new legal prohibition, or revoke any specific prior policy — actual changes to programs depend on future agency action, rulemaking, or enforcement decisions.
Who it affects
All federal executive agencies administering benefit programs, state and local governments receiving federal payments, undocumented immigrants currently receiving or applying for federally funded benefits, and U.S. citizens and legal residents who rely on those same benefit programs.
Why it matters
Federal agencies could restrict or terminate benefit programs currently accessible to undocumented immigrants, which may affect access to services that states and localities currently administer using federal funds. Changes to eligibility verification requirements could also affect legal residents who face documentation burdens.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
Each agency head independently reviews its own programs and acts to align them with PRWORA. In parallel, OMB and the DOGE Service conduct a cross-government funding audit within 30 days and recommend further agency actions. Agencies then refer detected misuse to DOJ and DHS for follow-on enforcement. Because actual program changes require agencies to act within their existing legal authority and subject to appropriations, the order's impact depends heavily on what individual agencies choose to do — and potentially on subsequent rulemaking.
Actions and deadlines
- Identify all federally funded programs permitting undocumented immigrants to receive benefits and take appropriate corrective actions
- Ensure federal payments to states and localities do not facilitate illegal immigration or support sanctuary policies
- Enhance eligibility verification systems to exclude ineligible undocumented immigrants from taxpayer-funded benefits
- OMB Director and DOGE Administrator identify all federal funding sources for undocumented immigrants and recommend additional agency actions
- Agencies refer improper receipt or use of federal benefits to DOJ and DHS for appropriate action