‘Quit it!’: Maxine Waters shuts down MAGA reporter who confronted her over government shutdown GOP talking point

“Excuse me. Stop it right there,” Congresswoman Waters interjected after LindellTV reporter Alison Steinberg asked her if Democrats are prioritizing health care for “illegal aliens” over the government shutdown.

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., refused to take the bait after she was confronted by a pro-MAGA reporter on the steps of the U.S. Capitol over the government shutdown that took effect early Wednesday.

After a news conference on the then-looming shutdown with the Democratic caucus on Tuesday, Waters was asked by conservative LindellTV reporter Alison Steinberg if Democrats want to “prioritize the health care of illegal aliens over a government shutdown.”

“If the government does shut down, American workers are going to be furloughed,” Steinberg said to Congresswoman Waters.

“Excuse me. Stop it right there,” Waters interjected. “We’re not prioritizing. What we’re saying simply is that we want to keep the government open and we want to work with the Republicans and have a bipartisan agreement to keep this government open, and healthcare is at the top of our agenda.”

At the heart of the political deadlock on Capitol Hill is the Republicans’ refusal to give in to the Democrats’ demands to permanently extend the soon-to-be-expired tax credits under Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act. These credits, which passed during the pandemic, were intended to help insurance recipients afford their health care. Democrats are also pushing to restore more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and Medicare that Republicans established in their unpopular “One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”

Trump and Republicans repeatedly accused Democrats of wanting to provide taxpayer health care to undocumented immigrants. However, federal law prohibits their eligibility, with exceptions for those with legal status, such as refugees and those seeking asylum.

When Steinberg pressed Waters again, asking her, “But are Democrats demanding healthcare for illegal aliens?” Waters replied, “Democrats are demanding health care for everybody. We want to save lives. We want to make sure that health care is available to those who would die [without] having the help of their government.”

“So you’re good with the government shutdown even if it means giving health care to people who aren’t Americans?” asked Steinberg.

“That’s what you’re pushing on. What you’re trying to do is you’re standing here and you’re trying to make me say that somehow we are going to put non-citizens over Americans,” said Waters. She added, “Quit it! Stop it! This is the kind of journalism we don’t need.”

The 87-year-old California congresswoman accused LindellTV reporter of being “divisive” and creating “controversy.”

“You’re not going to get it from me!” said Waters. “We want to save healthcare for all people.”

According to the Congressional Budget Office, Republicans’ cuts to Medicaid and Obamcare subsidies would result in roughly 16 million people losing health insurance by 2034.

LindellTV is owned by Mike Lindell, the founder of “My Pillow” and Trump ally who pushed unproven conspiracy theories of election fraud in the 2020 election. Lindell was found liable in two defamation lawsuits regarding his false claims about Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, whose technologies and voting systems were used in the 2020 election.

See the exchange between Waters and Steinberg below.

WATCH: Maxine Waters Snaps When Asked About Healthcare for Illegal Aliens

When confronted outside the Capitol, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) was asked if Democrats are willing to shut down the U.S. government to prioritize healthcare for illegal immigrants.

“Quit it. Stop it. This… pic.twitter.com/St7BbBW8wH— LindellTV (@RealLindellTV) September 30, 2025