Rep. Don Beyer, a U.S. Congressman representing Virginia’s 8th district since 2015, recently addressed claims and actions by House Republicans during the ongoing government shutdown in a series of posts on his official Twitter account.
On October 3, 2025, Beyer shared an NBC report disputing Republican assertions about Democratic motives during the shutdown. He quoted the article: “U.S. law already prohibits unauthorized immigrants from gaining any federally subsidized health care coverage” (October 3, 2025). In the same post, he included a link to an NBC article titled “GOP misleads with claim that Democrats shut down to give health care to ‘illegal immigrants'” and provided additional documentation in a follow-up tweet: https://t.co/2NbHBU55hJ (October 3, 2025).
Later that day, Beyer commented on the conduct of House Republicans amid the shutdown: “House Republicans appear to be extending their vacation before and during the government shutdown through a third week. I’ve never seen anything like it” (October 3, 2025).
The tweets come as debate continues over federal funding and immigration policy. According to federal law, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federally subsidized health care coverage—an assertion confirmed by independent fact-checkers and referenced in both Beyer’s statements and major news outlets.
Beyer has represented Virginia’s 8th District since succeeding Jim Moran in 2015. Born in Trieste in 1950 and currently residing in Alexandria, Beyer holds a BA from Williams College.
