September 28, 2026 • 23 mins
Sean Hannity is joined by Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo to discuss Rufo’s investigation into California programs providing benefits to some immigrants, including health care, cash assistance, subsidized phone service and other support. Rufo explains how state-funded programs can operate separately from federal benefit restrictions and discusses the costs associated with California’s policies. Sean also takes calls from listeners about the approaching midterm elections, socialism, changing political attitudes and the increasingly cashless economy.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hour 2, Sean Hannity Show, toll free. It is 800-941-SEAN
if you want to be a part of the program.
So here we are with 36 days away from, I think,
the most important midterm in our lifetime. Hence, that's why
even with the, as Rush used to say, the ravages
of the cold virus, I am here because it matters.
(00:22):
I mean, we don't have a lot of time left
on the clock. And everything is hanging in the balance.
We've just went through what the Democratic strategy is. And
if you want to know what America would look like
if these radicals got in power, just take a look
at New York or California. New York comes out the
highest taxed state in the entire country. And, you know, California,
(00:47):
not far behind. How is it they have the highest
income tax, the highest sales tax, the highest gas taxes?
And they, you know, Gavin, you know, in communist California
bragging about free health care for illegals and they can't
balance their budget. That's why we keep having Steve Hilton on.
(01:09):
That's why we keep having Bruce Blakeman on. This may
be the last great best hope in both New York
and California for both these people. Which brings us to
our next guest, which will be joined in a second
by Chris Ruffo. And he exposes California's shadow welfare system
for illegals. He's a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute,
(01:30):
and they have created the shadow welfare system for illegals,
free housing, cash, health care, food, phones, college tuition, even
car insurance, costing the taxpayers out there more than $ 10
billion per year. And they went inside the entire system
and exposed it all. And here's Chris Ruffo exposing California's
shadow welfare system for illegals. This is a brand new smartphone.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And here in Los Angeles, the government is giving them
away to undocumented migrants for free.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
No proof of citizenship required.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
And the phones are only the beginning. In the past decade,
the California state government has built a shadow welfare system
for the undocumented that costs.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
The state billions.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
They're giving away free food, cash, housing, health care, college tuition.
even car insurance, no questions asked. We wanted to see
exactly how this system worked, so we went to the
welfare office here in Los Angeles. They told us that
many state welfare programs do not require American citizenship, and some,
(02:36):
like the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, which provides nearly
$ 14, 000 a year in cash, are for migrants only. If
you know where to look, the system isn't exactly a secret.
The government is advertising it.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
And Governor Newsom brags about it.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Providing universal health care regardless of pre-existing condition, ability to pay,
and your immigration status.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
I know how offensive that is to people, and I
get how controversial that is.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
This is an outrage.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
California families are working long hours, depleting their savings, and
taking out record amounts of debt to survive, while the
government takes from their paycheck and hands out free everything
to migrants who have no legal right to be here.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
So what are we talking about? A shadow welfare system
that allows illegals to receive health care? rental assistance, college grants,
tax credits, low-cost car insurance, and even smartphones, all on
the taxpayer dime. The big question is, how is it
possible all this has been happening and the people of California,
(03:46):
the people in the country are not aware of it? Anyway,
Chris Ruffo is with us now. And Chris, we appreciate
you being back on the program. Chris, if you're not
familiar with him, is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute,
contributing editor of City Journal, author of America's Cultural Revolution.
So you're exposing all this. My question, first and foremost,
(04:09):
is we've known about health care. We've known about other services,
but nothing as exhaustive and extensive as this. How did
they get away with keeping it private?
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Yeah, that's a great question, Sean. And there's really two means.
I mean, one is that the California state government is
so massive and so expansive that. that they tuck a
lot of these provisions into broader legislation. And frankly, people
just aren't looking into it. But there's another bait and
switch that they use, and it's called people who are
(04:40):
residing under the color of law, which means people who
have a kind of ambiguous legal status. This includes a
large number of undocumented immigrants or illegal immigrants. And they've
created this gray zone that gives them the latitude to
process virtually anyone, no social security number, no citizenship, no
(05:01):
green card, no paperwork of any kind through the welfare system.
And so we went on the ground to a variety
of welfare offices, and the conclusion on the ground is
quite simple. Essentially, if you don't have any paperwork, it's
no problem. And we ran a model for a household
with two illegal immigrant parents, an illegal immigrant grandparent, and
(05:24):
two U.S.-born children. In California, you can qualify for up
to $ 100, 000 a year in benefits. So people aren't aware
of what's happening, but the numbers are starting to come
together and they paint a fairly dramatic picture.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
All right, so if you are illegal, I mean, this
part of your investigation I found fascinating. California has their
cash assistance program for immigrants, CAPI. Now, that's a state-funded
alternative to supplemental security income. That provides monthly cash assistance
to low-income noncitizens who are elderly or disabled. Now, if
(06:02):
you're a citizen, you're not eligible for that?
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
So what's happening and why we're calling it the shadow
welfare system is that a lot of these federal programs,
Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and other cash assistance programs,
you cannot get them as an illegal alien. And so
what California has done is they're replicating all of these
programs and then either for immigrants that have some form
(06:29):
of paperwork or illegal immigrants with no paperwork, They've created
a secondary system that essentially duplicates the federal system and
then creates the other system where people can slot in.
And the sad thing is, for many people, that they
are deliberately organizing the system in this way. And I
think California voters, look, they've been asked this question on
(06:52):
ballot measures and polling data. California voters do not want $ 10, $ 11,
$ 12 billion a year for welfare for illegal immigrants. But
the California political class feels a sense of impunity. They
can operate according to what they believe, what their unions want,
and what the ideologists have demanded. And so far, they're
(07:15):
not paying an electoral price. So we have this mismatch
between what the public wants and what California's permanent political
class is doing.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
So state leaders are proud of it. Gavin Newsom brags
about his decision to extend Medi-Cal coverage, which is insurance
to illegal immigrants. And his wife encouraged people to sign
up for the California Earned Income Tax Credit, a program
his promotional materials assure that applicants that no Social Security
(07:45):
number is no problem. The governor's office doesn't respond. Now,
there is a federal law. that my understanding is prohibits
states from using federal dollars to serve illegal aliens. Is
that true?
Speaker 4 (07:58):
It prevents them from using federal dollars, but not state dollars.
And so that's why they've created these separate state programs
so they can evade that, you know, not by violating
the law. They actually, for the most part, seem to
be complying with federal law, but they're doing it at
the state level. However, you know, some lawyers at the
Manhattan Institute that we talked to about this, There is
(08:20):
a possibility that these programs violate federal civil rights law
because they seem to be discriminatory on the basis of
national origin. If you are born in another country, you qualify.
If you are born in the United States of America,
you don't qualify. You're prohibited from applying. That's discrimination based against,
(08:41):
which is kind of an odd way, but it's actually
discrimination against Americans on behalf of foreign citizens.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So if you look at Medicaid as an example and
federal law prohibits states from using federal dollars to provide
coverage to illegals. All right. So explain that they kind
of do this this dance, if you will. And you
called it a wraparound in your investigation where they use
state funded a state funded bucket of money within their
(09:10):
Medi-Cal program to extend the full scope coverage to illegals.
And then the expansions enrolled some 1.7 million people, costing
the state an estimated $ 10 billion, more than twice what
the state legislatively originally projected. For example, what is the
annual deficit now that California is running in spite of
(09:31):
the highest income taxes, sales taxes, and gas taxes?
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yeah, I mean, we're talking about an enormous deficit. I mean,
it should be coming in at a multi-billion dollar deficit.
And it's not because, like you're saying very, very, very clearly,
they have the highest tax burden. They have enormous taxes
on all categories. But they also have a runaway spending problem.
And so just under Gavin Newsom, California's Medicaid budget has
(09:56):
doubled from $ 100 billion a year to $ 200 billion a
a year, even though the state's population has slightly declined
for the first time ever. And so what I'm really
understanding about California, the more we dig into it, is
that they want to shovel as much money through the
system as possible. They have no controls against fraud, against
(10:17):
illegal aliens participating, against government unions wasting the cash. And
so they just want to push as much money through
as possible. They don't care about the outcomes. They don't
care about the results. It doesn't seem like a doubling
in spending has had any beneficial effect on the health
of California citizens.
Speaker 6 (10:35):
It feels to me like the late stage.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
USSR when the Soviet officials no longer believed in the ideology,
but they were just looting the treasury and trying to
extract as much money as possible before the system collapsed.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
All right, quick break. Right back more with Chris Ruffo.
His investigative report is with the Manhattan Institute. Your calls
on the other side this Monday, 800-941-SHAWN. If you want
to be a part of the program as we continue.
You know, Hassan Piker was speaking at Cornell University and
whoever this nut is interviewing him starts this ridiculous chant
(11:12):
from the river to the sea. which if you don't know,
that means wipe Israel off the face of the earth.
And of course, Assam Piker, every time the crowd does
their part, raises his microphone up to his mouth and
joins in.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
I think on that note, if you want to join
me in a protest chant, from the river to the.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Sea, from Yeah, well, if you cared about a free Palestine,
(11:55):
one might want to ask the question, how is it
possible that all of this money that was donated by
the U.S. government, by the Israeli government, by governments around
the world, by people around the world, for the people
of Gaza... built out a network of hundreds of miles
of terror tunnels. We've been there. How they have the
(12:18):
money for all these rockets that they're firing into Israel.
Wasn't that money that was supposed to be earmarked for
the people, for infrastructure, for hospitals, for schools, for roads
and things that matter? Then over the weekend, AOC, she
went to the same event at Cornell University, young democratic socialists.
(12:40):
And again, they're chanting AOC. Long live the student Antifada.
Antifada meaning holy war. And again, from the river to
the sea. I didn't see her joining in the chant,
but I did see her sitting there silently and allowing
it to happen. It's not dead. Long live student resistance
and long live the student Antifada.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Thank you.
Speaker 6 (13:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
And just for one second, I'd like you guys to
repeat after me. From the river to the sea.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Palestine will be free.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Palestine will be free.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Well, FAMAS, the terror organization voted in by the people
of Gaza, if they didn't spend all their money on
terror tunnels and rockets and weapons to kill the Israelis.
they might have been able to build out a very,
very strong infrastructure, great schools, great hospitals, but they chose
not to do that. Pretty amazing. All right, let's get
(13:41):
to our busy phones. 36 days till Election Day. Let's
say hi to Bill. He's in Kansas. Bill, you're on
the Sean Hannity Show. Happy Monday. Glad you called, sir.
Speaker 5 (13:52):
Hey, thanks for taking my call, Sean.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
What's going on?
Speaker 5 (13:56):
Well, this DSA stuff, whether you want to call it
DSA or the communists or the socialists or whatever, but
I guess my thought or question is if they succeed
in taking everybody's money that's worked hard for what they've built,
then what are they going to do when they get
all that money and it's all gone?
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Well, I think you're going to answer your own question,
don't you think?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
But I guess I'm just thinking that these youngsters that
are signing on for this, as I think it might
have been Rush coined the phrase, he's mindful of the mush.
If they don't think about what's going on instead of
feeling what's going on, they need to think about things
instead of feeling it. Well, once they get all that money,
(14:43):
just like you just said in your previous statement over
there in Palestine, they took all that money and it
was supposed to go for the people and what they
use it for. for their own ideology stuff. They didn't
use it where it spoke.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Well, let me ask you a question because apparently there's
a tougher race than I guess people anticipated in your
state of Kansas. I happen to be very fond of
Senator Roger Marshall. I think he's a good guy. And
in your sunflower state, he's running against this radicalized Democrat
that called on his congregation to repent for driving and
(15:17):
for eating meat. Are you voting for that lunatic, this
guy Hamilton?
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Would I?
Speaker 3 (15:24):
No.
Speaker 5 (15:24):
I'm like you. I like Senator Marshall.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Well, Adam Hamilton seems to be doing well in the polls.
What's going on there in Kansas?
Speaker 5 (15:35):
Well, I think he says we've got to be in
the middle of the road, which is the same thing
that our current governor ran on. We've got to be
in the middle of the road. And everybody thought, well,
we've got to be in the middle of the road.
But she's governed from the far left. So they want
to point, oh, we've got to govern in the middle
of the road. But once they get there, they don't
govern from the middle of the road. They govern from
(15:55):
the far left.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Well, he once in 2020 did a sermon. And the
sermon was, what would Jesus say about climate change? So
what I'm calling you to today, and I'm calling myself
to it because I've been wasteful. I've done things that wasn't,
you know, I don't think I don't think about it,
how it wasn't really good stewardship. of the earth around me.
(16:17):
He said, I'm calling us to repentance to say, I
realize that this has an impact. Uh, even if it
seems small, it has an impact on the world and
future generations. I feel badly about that. I'm going to
do something different from this time forward. Uh, and then
he goes on to say in a state with more
cattle than people, he said that the people of Kansas
(16:39):
need to repent for eating too much beef and flip-flopping
on the farm bill. Uh, proves that he'd be just
like every other liberal Democrat. So, I mean, you have
a Democrat, you have a DSA guy running even in Kansas.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Yeah, I believe it. And I sure hope we don't
get in. I hope that people, well, I hope the
people across the country sit back and think about what's
going on, not just feel what's going on. Because for
these guys, look, like you said, what happened in Palestine,
what's happened in California? They've used all the money out
there from all their local people. Now they're taking it
from people across the U.S. because the U.S. government, us
(17:19):
taxpayers in this country, are funding stuff. And look at
the rail to nowhere out there.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Bill, all I can tell you is, and I'm speaking
through you to other people as well, that's why this
election matters in 36 days. If you listen to the
legacy media mob, they are trying to create an impression
that there's no hope for any Republican. It is not true.
(17:46):
The way you can shock the world and shock the
establishment is to show up in massive numbers and vote.
And at the end of the day, you know, I'm
not saying Republicans are perfect, but I don't know one
Republican that's talking like this lunatic preacher that's running as
a Democratic Senate candidate. I don't know one. And I
(18:07):
don't think it fits in with Kansas values. And I
hope the people of Kansas are paying attention.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
I agree with you wholeheartedly. And another one more quick thought.
If right now we have the Constitution and we have
the rule of law, if we lose that, then what
are we down to? We're down to another civil war
or taking it by force. Right now, if we lose that,
then we have no, well, the last shiny city on
the hill. If we lose that, there's nowhere else to go.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
250 years of freedom down the tubes. A republic if
you can keep it, Ben Franklin famously said. Thank you, Bill.
Back to our busy phones. Toll free, it's 800-941-SHAWN if
you want to join us this Monday. Todd is in Texas.
God bless Texas. Todd, how are you? Glad you called.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
Thank you, sir. Sean, it's an honor to speak with you.
My statement, I guess, is I live in a small corner,
southeast Texas. I feel like we're a much more conservative area.
My job takes me into Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio,
those areas. So I see a very high presence of Talafrico.
(19:17):
You know, you're seeing the Talafrico signs. You're seeing the
bumper stickers. You're seeing the things like that. Today, I'm
down in my area. I saw my first Patrick yard sign. Wow.
And it's like it's like I think it was the
week before last year, you and Mr. O'Reilly were speaking. And,
you know, my vote is not going to be for Paxton.
(19:39):
My vote is strictly to vote against Tallarico.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Well, I mean, look, there is not a single Republican
that supports the DSA agenda. There's not a single Republican
that thinks there's six genders. There's not a single Republican
that says God is non-binary. There's not a single Republican
that wants a welcome mat on our border. There's not
a single Republican that I know of running a vegan campaign,
(20:05):
especially in your cattle state, or running on an anti-
energy platform in an oil state. There's not a single
Republican that I can think of that wants biological men
to have the right to play women's sports. That's Telefrico. Now,
if Texas goes blue, I'll tell you where, you know,
(20:26):
I'm just telling you, it's a real possibility. You've got
everybody in Texas. Pay attention. And Governor Abbott has done
a great job as your governor. He deserves to be reelected.
I don't know if these polls are real. I think
these polls are have been so off this entire election cycle.
(20:47):
I'm telling people not to pay attention to them. But hypocritically,
I pay attention to them because it's my job. But
if I wasn't so dead certain that they're so wrong
so often, I wouldn't even bring it to your attention.
But I'm telling you, there's only one way to stop this.
And that's for everybody listening to my voice to get
(21:10):
out and vote. So take it seriously. That's all I
can say, Todd. Appreciate you. 800-941-SEAN if you want to
be a part of the program. John in New Jersey.
What's up, John? How are you? Glad you called.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Hey, John. Nice to finally speak with you. I've been
listening to you for years.
Speaker 6 (21:29):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
I think you're a stand-up guy and a good American.
So with that said, you mentioned previously about a cashless
society that we're in, and you said you're one of
the few guys walking around with cash in your pocket.
Trust me, you are not the only one. I, too,
walk around with cash in my pocket, but I'm starting
to see this evolution to where we are going cashless.
(21:53):
And about a year ago, my daughter took me to
a Hoon concert at Prudential Center in Newark. And we're
on the train. We're getting all excited. She says, oh, Dad,
by the way, the arena is completely cashless. And I'm like, well,
how do I pay for things? I want to buy
a hot dog. I want to buy a beer. I
want to buy a T-shirt.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Well, I'm sure you have a credit card. I mean,
I still carry cash with me, but I have a
credit card. I have a bank card. Do you not
have that?
Speaker 3 (22:17):
No, I do. But I'm from the school where I
have two credit cards with no balance. To me, it's
I use cash. The credit cards are my emergency. But
we've completely evolved now to where it's you use your
credit card, use your Apple Pay. But I got to
tell you, I'm learning to adapt because it is so
much easier. As much as I like cash, I still
(22:39):
walk around with cash in my pocket. It is easier.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Listen, I have tried in vain to get my kids
to carry cash. even for like a year, every time
I'd see them, I'd say, well, how much money in
cash do you have? They'd have nothing. And I'm like,
you need to always have cash on you. What if
the card gets rejected? And I've just failed in that mission. Totally, completely,
utterly failed. But I tried. I've been trying.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
I have kids in their 30s.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Poor kids.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
And believe me, I've tried too, but they're.
Speaker 6 (23:11):
Just, well, no, Dad, just use your phone.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
It's so much easier. It's this... this generation things are
just different
Speaker 1 (23:17):
They are well listen that's the least of our worries
right now i'm just saying um but i'm a little
low i like to tip in cash i like to
give people just hard cash they look at it they
can tell what they got um that's just the way
i roll i don't know old school what can i
tell you
Hour 2, Sean Hannity Show, toll free. It is 800-941-SEAN
if you want to be a part of the program.
So here we are with 36 days away from, I think,
the most important midterm in our lifetime. Hence, that's why
even with the, as Rush used to say, the ravages
of the cold virus, I am here because it matters.
(00:22):
I mean, we don't have a lot of time left
on the clock. And everything is hanging in the balance.
We've just went through what the Democratic strategy is. And
if you want to know what America would look like
if these radicals got in power, just take a look
at New York or California. New York comes out the
highest taxed state in the entire country. And, you know, California,
(00:47):
not far behind. How is it they have the highest
income tax, the highest sales tax, the highest gas taxes?
And they, you know, Gavin, you know, in communist California
bragging about free health care for illegals and they can't
balance their budget. That's why we keep having Steve Hilton on.
(01:09):
That's why we keep having Bruce Blakeman on. This may
be the last great best hope in both New York
and California for both these people. Which brings us to
our next guest, which will be joined in a second
by Chris Ruffo. And he exposes California's shadow welfare system
for illegals. He's a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute,
(01:30):
and they have created the shadow welfare system for illegals,
free housing, cash, health care, food, phones, college tuition, even
car insurance, costing the taxpayers out there more than $ 10
billion per year. And they went inside the entire system
and exposed it all. And here's Chris Ruffo exposing California's
shadow welfare system for illegals. This is a brand new smartphone.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And here in Los Angeles, the government is giving them
away to undocumented migrants for free.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
No proof of citizenship required.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
And the phones are only the beginning. In the past decade,
the California state government has built a shadow welfare system
for the undocumented that costs.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
The state billions.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
They're giving away free food, cash, housing, health care, college tuition.
even car insurance, no questions asked. We wanted to see
exactly how this system worked, so we went to the
welfare office here in Los Angeles. They told us that
many state welfare programs do not require American citizenship, and some,
(02:36):
like the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, which provides nearly
$ 14, 000 a year in cash, are for migrants only. If
you know where to look, the system isn't exactly a secret.
The government is advertising it.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
And Governor Newsom brags about it.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Providing universal health care regardless of pre-existing condition, ability to pay,
and your immigration status.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
I know how offensive that is to people, and I
get how controversial that is.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
This is an outrage.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
California families are working long hours, depleting their savings, and
taking out record amounts of debt to survive, while the
government takes from their paycheck and hands out free everything
to migrants who have no legal right to be here.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
So what are we talking about? A shadow welfare system
that allows illegals to receive health care? rental assistance, college grants,
tax credits, low-cost car insurance, and even smartphones, all on
the taxpayer dime. The big question is, how is it
possible all this has been happening and the people of California,
(03:46):
the people in the country are not aware of it? Anyway,
Chris Ruffo is with us now. And Chris, we appreciate
you being back on the program. Chris, if you're not
familiar with him, is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute,
contributing editor of City Journal, author of America's Cultural Revolution.
So you're exposing all this. My question, first and foremost,
(04:09):
is we've known about health care. We've known about other services,
but nothing as exhaustive and extensive as this. How did
they get away with keeping it private?
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Yeah, that's a great question, Sean. And there's really two means.
I mean, one is that the California state government is
so massive and so expansive that. that they tuck a
lot of these provisions into broader legislation. And frankly, people
just aren't looking into it. But there's another bait and
switch that they use, and it's called people who are
(04:40):
residing under the color of law, which means people who
have a kind of ambiguous legal status. This includes a
large number of undocumented immigrants or illegal immigrants. And they've
created this gray zone that gives them the latitude to
process virtually anyone, no social security number, no citizenship, no
(05:01):
green card, no paperwork of any kind through the welfare system.
And so we went on the ground to a variety
of welfare offices, and the conclusion on the ground is
quite simple. Essentially, if you don't have any paperwork, it's
no problem. And we ran a model for a household
with two illegal immigrant parents, an illegal immigrant grandparent, and
(05:24):
two U.S.-born children. In California, you can qualify for up
to $ 100, 000 a year in benefits. So people aren't aware
of what's happening, but the numbers are starting to come
together and they paint a fairly dramatic picture.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
All right, so if you are illegal, I mean, this
part of your investigation I found fascinating. California has their
cash assistance program for immigrants, CAPI. Now, that's a state-funded
alternative to supplemental security income. That provides monthly cash assistance
to low-income noncitizens who are elderly or disabled. Now, if
(06:02):
you're a citizen, you're not eligible for that?
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
So what's happening and why we're calling it the shadow
welfare system is that a lot of these federal programs,
Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and other cash assistance programs,
you cannot get them as an illegal alien. And so
what California has done is they're replicating all of these
programs and then either for immigrants that have some form
(06:29):
of paperwork or illegal immigrants with no paperwork, They've created
a secondary system that essentially duplicates the federal system and
then creates the other system where people can slot in.
And the sad thing is, for many people, that they
are deliberately organizing the system in this way. And I
think California voters, look, they've been asked this question on
(06:52):
ballot measures and polling data. California voters do not want $ 10, $ 11,
$ 12 billion a year for welfare for illegal immigrants. But
the California political class feels a sense of impunity. They
can operate according to what they believe, what their unions want,
and what the ideologists have demanded. And so far, they're
(07:15):
not paying an electoral price. So we have this mismatch
between what the public wants and what California's permanent political
class is doing.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
So state leaders are proud of it. Gavin Newsom brags
about his decision to extend Medi-Cal coverage, which is insurance
to illegal immigrants. And his wife encouraged people to sign
up for the California Earned Income Tax Credit, a program
his promotional materials assure that applicants that no Social Security
(07:45):
number is no problem. The governor's office doesn't respond. Now,
there is a federal law. that my understanding is prohibits
states from using federal dollars to serve illegal aliens. Is
that true?
Speaker 4 (07:58):
It prevents them from using federal dollars, but not state dollars.
And so that's why they've created these separate state programs
so they can evade that, you know, not by violating
the law. They actually, for the most part, seem to
be complying with federal law, but they're doing it at
the state level. However, you know, some lawyers at the
Manhattan Institute that we talked to about this, There is
(08:20):
a possibility that these programs violate federal civil rights law
because they seem to be discriminatory on the basis of
national origin. If you are born in another country, you qualify.
If you are born in the United States of America,
you don't qualify. You're prohibited from applying. That's discrimination based against,
(08:41):
which is kind of an odd way, but it's actually
discrimination against Americans on behalf of foreign citizens.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So if you look at Medicaid as an example and
federal law prohibits states from using federal dollars to provide
coverage to illegals. All right. So explain that they kind
of do this this dance, if you will. And you
called it a wraparound in your investigation where they use
state funded a state funded bucket of money within their
(09:10):
Medi-Cal program to extend the full scope coverage to illegals.
And then the expansions enrolled some 1.7 million people, costing
the state an estimated $ 10 billion, more than twice what
the state legislatively originally projected. For example, what is the
annual deficit now that California is running in spite of
(09:31):
the highest income taxes, sales taxes, and gas taxes?
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yeah, I mean, we're talking about an enormous deficit. I mean,
it should be coming in at a multi-billion dollar deficit.
And it's not because, like you're saying very, very, very clearly,
they have the highest tax burden. They have enormous taxes
on all categories. But they also have a runaway spending problem.
And so just under Gavin Newsom, California's Medicaid budget has
(09:56):
doubled from $ 100 billion a year to $ 200 billion a
a year, even though the state's population has slightly declined
for the first time ever. And so what I'm really
understanding about California, the more we dig into it, is
that they want to shovel as much money through the
system as possible. They have no controls against fraud, against
(10:17):
illegal aliens participating, against government unions wasting the cash. And
so they just want to push as much money through
as possible. They don't care about the outcomes. They don't
care about the results. It doesn't seem like a doubling
in spending has had any beneficial effect on the health
of California citizens.
Speaker 6 (10:35):
It feels to me like the late stage.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
USSR when the Soviet officials no longer believed in the ideology,
but they were just looting the treasury and trying to
extract as much money as possible before the system collapsed.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
All right, quick break. Right back more with Chris Ruffo.
His investigative report is with the Manhattan Institute. Your calls
on the other side this Monday, 800-941-SHAWN. If you want
to be a part of the program as we continue.
You know, Hassan Piker was speaking at Cornell University and
whoever this nut is interviewing him starts this ridiculous chant
(11:12):
from the river to the sea. which if you don't know,
that means wipe Israel off the face of the earth.
And of course, Assam Piker, every time the crowd does
their part, raises his microphone up to his mouth and
joins in.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
I think on that note, if you want to join
me in a protest chant, from the river to the.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Sea, from Yeah, well, if you cared about a free Palestine,
(11:55):
one might want to ask the question, how is it
possible that all of this money that was donated by
the U.S. government, by the Israeli government, by governments around
the world, by people around the world, for the people
of Gaza... built out a network of hundreds of miles
of terror tunnels. We've been there. How they have the
(12:18):
money for all these rockets that they're firing into Israel.
Wasn't that money that was supposed to be earmarked for
the people, for infrastructure, for hospitals, for schools, for roads
and things that matter? Then over the weekend, AOC, she
went to the same event at Cornell University, young democratic socialists.
(12:40):
And again, they're chanting AOC. Long live the student Antifada.
Antifada meaning holy war. And again, from the river to
the sea. I didn't see her joining in the chant,
but I did see her sitting there silently and allowing
it to happen. It's not dead. Long live student resistance
and long live the student Antifada.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Thank you.
Speaker 6 (13:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
And just for one second, I'd like you guys to
repeat after me. From the river to the sea.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Palestine will be free.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Palestine will be free.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Well, FAMAS, the terror organization voted in by the people
of Gaza, if they didn't spend all their money on
terror tunnels and rockets and weapons to kill the Israelis.
they might have been able to build out a very,
very strong infrastructure, great schools, great hospitals, but they chose
not to do that. Pretty amazing. All right, let's get
(13:41):
to our busy phones. 36 days till Election Day. Let's
say hi to Bill. He's in Kansas. Bill, you're on
the Sean Hannity Show. Happy Monday. Glad you called, sir.
Speaker 5 (13:52):
Hey, thanks for taking my call, Sean.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
What's going on?
Speaker 5 (13:56):
Well, this DSA stuff, whether you want to call it
DSA or the communists or the socialists or whatever, but
I guess my thought or question is if they succeed
in taking everybody's money that's worked hard for what they've built,
then what are they going to do when they get
all that money and it's all gone?
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Well, I think you're going to answer your own question,
don't you think?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
But I guess I'm just thinking that these youngsters that
are signing on for this, as I think it might
have been Rush coined the phrase, he's mindful of the mush.
If they don't think about what's going on instead of
feeling what's going on, they need to think about things
instead of feeling it. Well, once they get all that money,
(14:43):
just like you just said in your previous statement over
there in Palestine, they took all that money and it
was supposed to go for the people and what they
use it for. for their own ideology stuff. They didn't
use it where it spoke.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Well, let me ask you a question because apparently there's
a tougher race than I guess people anticipated in your
state of Kansas. I happen to be very fond of
Senator Roger Marshall. I think he's a good guy. And
in your sunflower state, he's running against this radicalized Democrat
that called on his congregation to repent for driving and
(15:17):
for eating meat. Are you voting for that lunatic, this
guy Hamilton?
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Would I?
Speaker 3 (15:24):
No.
Speaker 5 (15:24):
I'm like you. I like Senator Marshall.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Well, Adam Hamilton seems to be doing well in the polls.
What's going on there in Kansas?
Speaker 5 (15:35):
Well, I think he says we've got to be in
the middle of the road, which is the same thing
that our current governor ran on. We've got to be
in the middle of the road. And everybody thought, well,
we've got to be in the middle of the road.
But she's governed from the far left. So they want
to point, oh, we've got to govern in the middle
of the road. But once they get there, they don't
govern from the middle of the road. They govern from
(15:55):
the far left.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Well, he once in 2020 did a sermon. And the
sermon was, what would Jesus say about climate change? So
what I'm calling you to today, and I'm calling myself
to it because I've been wasteful. I've done things that wasn't,
you know, I don't think I don't think about it,
how it wasn't really good stewardship. of the earth around me.
(16:17):
He said, I'm calling us to repentance to say, I
realize that this has an impact. Uh, even if it
seems small, it has an impact on the world and
future generations. I feel badly about that. I'm going to
do something different from this time forward. Uh, and then
he goes on to say in a state with more
cattle than people, he said that the people of Kansas
(16:39):
need to repent for eating too much beef and flip-flopping
on the farm bill. Uh, proves that he'd be just
like every other liberal Democrat. So, I mean, you have
a Democrat, you have a DSA guy running even in Kansas.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Yeah, I believe it. And I sure hope we don't
get in. I hope that people, well, I hope the
people across the country sit back and think about what's
going on, not just feel what's going on. Because for
these guys, look, like you said, what happened in Palestine,
what's happened in California? They've used all the money out
there from all their local people. Now they're taking it
from people across the U.S. because the U.S. government, us
(17:19):
taxpayers in this country, are funding stuff. And look at
the rail to nowhere out there.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Bill, all I can tell you is, and I'm speaking
through you to other people as well, that's why this
election matters in 36 days. If you listen to the
legacy media mob, they are trying to create an impression
that there's no hope for any Republican. It is not true.
(17:46):
The way you can shock the world and shock the
establishment is to show up in massive numbers and vote.
And at the end of the day, you know, I'm
not saying Republicans are perfect, but I don't know one
Republican that's talking like this lunatic preacher that's running as
a Democratic Senate candidate. I don't know one. And I
(18:07):
don't think it fits in with Kansas values. And I
hope the people of Kansas are paying attention.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
I agree with you wholeheartedly. And another one more quick thought.
If right now we have the Constitution and we have
the rule of law, if we lose that, then what
are we down to? We're down to another civil war
or taking it by force. Right now, if we lose that,
then we have no, well, the last shiny city on
the hill. If we lose that, there's nowhere else to go.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
250 years of freedom down the tubes. A republic if
you can keep it, Ben Franklin famously said. Thank you, Bill.
Back to our busy phones. Toll free, it's 800-941-SHAWN if
you want to join us this Monday. Todd is in Texas.
God bless Texas. Todd, how are you? Glad you called.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
Thank you, sir. Sean, it's an honor to speak with you.
My statement, I guess, is I live in a small corner,
southeast Texas. I feel like we're a much more conservative area.
My job takes me into Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio,
those areas. So I see a very high presence of Talafrico.
(19:17):
You know, you're seeing the Talafrico signs. You're seeing the
bumper stickers. You're seeing the things like that. Today, I'm
down in my area. I saw my first Patrick yard sign. Wow.
And it's like it's like I think it was the
week before last year, you and Mr. O'Reilly were speaking. And,
you know, my vote is not going to be for Paxton.
(19:39):
My vote is strictly to vote against Tallarico.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Well, I mean, look, there is not a single Republican
that supports the DSA agenda. There's not a single Republican
that thinks there's six genders. There's not a single Republican
that says God is non-binary. There's not a single Republican
that wants a welcome mat on our border. There's not
a single Republican that I know of running a vegan campaign,
(20:05):
especially in your cattle state, or running on an anti-
energy platform in an oil state. There's not a single
Republican that I can think of that wants biological men
to have the right to play women's sports. That's Telefrico. Now,
if Texas goes blue, I'll tell you where, you know,
(20:26):
I'm just telling you, it's a real possibility. You've got
everybody in Texas. Pay attention. And Governor Abbott has done
a great job as your governor. He deserves to be reelected.
I don't know if these polls are real. I think
these polls are have been so off this entire election cycle.
(20:47):
I'm telling people not to pay attention to them. But hypocritically,
I pay attention to them because it's my job. But
if I wasn't so dead certain that they're so wrong
so often, I wouldn't even bring it to your attention.
But I'm telling you, there's only one way to stop this.
And that's for everybody listening to my voice to get
(21:10):
out and vote. So take it seriously. That's all I
can say, Todd. Appreciate you. 800-941-SEAN if you want to
be a part of the program. John in New Jersey.
What's up, John? How are you? Glad you called.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Hey, John. Nice to finally speak with you. I've been
listening to you for years.
Speaker 6 (21:29):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
I think you're a stand-up guy and a good American.
So with that said, you mentioned previously about a cashless
society that we're in, and you said you're one of
the few guys walking around with cash in your pocket.
Trust me, you are not the only one. I, too,
walk around with cash in my pocket, but I'm starting
to see this evolution to where we are going cashless.
(21:53):
And about a year ago, my daughter took me to
a Hoon concert at Prudential Center in Newark. And we're
on the train. We're getting all excited. She says, oh, Dad,
by the way, the arena is completely cashless. And I'm like, well,
how do I pay for things? I want to buy
a hot dog. I want to buy a beer. I
want to buy a T-shirt.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Well, I'm sure you have a credit card. I mean,
I still carry cash with me, but I have a
credit card. I have a bank card. Do you not
have that?
Speaker 3 (22:17):
No, I do. But I'm from the school where I
have two credit cards with no balance. To me, it's
I use cash. The credit cards are my emergency. But
we've completely evolved now to where it's you use your
credit card, use your Apple Pay. But I got to
tell you, I'm learning to adapt because it is so
much easier. As much as I like cash, I still
(22:39):
walk around with cash in my pocket. It is easier.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Listen, I have tried in vain to get my kids
to carry cash. even for like a year, every time
I'd see them, I'd say, well, how much money in
cash do you have? They'd have nothing. And I'm like,
you need to always have cash on you. What if
the card gets rejected? And I've just failed in that mission. Totally, completely,
utterly failed. But I tried. I've been trying.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
I have kids in their 30s.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Poor kids.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
And believe me, I've tried too, but they're.
Speaker 6 (23:11):
Just, well, no, Dad, just use your phone.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
It's so much easier. It's this... this generation things are
just different
Speaker 1 (23:17):
They are well listen that's the least of our worries
right now i'm just saying um but i'm a little
low i like to tip in cash i like to
give people just hard cash they look at it they
can tell what they got um that's just the way
i roll i don't know old school what can i
tell you
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