Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, has introduced the End Welfare for Non-Citizens Act, legislation that would bar federal funds from paying for food stamps, housing assistance, cash aid and other welfare programs for refugees, asylees and immigrants in the country illegally. The bill, S. 3670, was filed in the Senate in January 2026 with Paul joined by Republican co-sponsors Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. It would cut off federal funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as food stamps, and HUD public housing and Section 8 housing vouchers, along with any other federal cash assistance, tax benefit, subsidy or service extended to those groups. The legislation states that no funds shall be appropriated or made available for such benefits notwithstanding any other provision of law. Paul’s office has pointed to the national debt, which exceeds $38 trillion, as justification for the bill, saying in a release that “Washington should not be running a welfare system on autopilot.” Paul has also defended the measure directly, writing on social media that “American families are struggling to make ends meet while Washington funds welfare for people who broke our immigration laws to get here,” and adding that his bill “ends that by cutting off TANF, Medicaid, and SNAP for illegal immigrants, refugees, and asylees.” The bill has drawn criticism from immigrant advocacy groups, including the National Immigration Law Center, which has historically opposed similar restrictions on the grounds that they would strip aid from vulnerable populations, including refugees admitted to the country through lawful resettlement programs. As of this fall, the bill remains before the Senate with two cosponsors and has not advanced to a floor vote.