CIS Op-Ed: HHS Reinterprets PRWORA To Limit Immigrant Benefits, Triggering State Lawsuits

CIS argues that HHS’s mid-2025 reinterpretation of PRWORA revives stricter limits on immigrant access to federally funded benefits, reversing a 1998 narrowing. The op-ed frames this as a 30-year policy course correction with implications for sponsor liability and access to programs like Medicaid (non-emergency), Head Start, CHIP, and TANF. It notes mounting legal and advocacy pushback from states and organizations.