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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to revoke government funding from a Houston children's hospital after one of its doctors went viral on TikTok for advising patients to skip a citizenship question on intake forms.
Dr. Tony Pastor, a cardiologist at Texas Children's Hospital and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, shared a post on November 11 claiming he and other hospital staff were told that patients didn't have to answer the "Are you a U.S. citizen?" question included on intake forms despite Abbott issuing a new executive order requiring hospitals that take Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance plans to do so. The order went into place on November 1, 10 days prior to the post -- which was deleted after garnering more than 1 million views -- being shared.
“So my proposal to everyone who’s seeing this is, just know that you do not have to answer this question,” Pastor said in the since-deleted video.
Abbott shared a post on his X account last week warning that the hospital could potentially lose its funding due to the comments.
"Hey Texas Children’s Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine this doctor is putting your Medicaid & Medicare funding at risk. You better think twice & have crystal clear records. There will be consequences for failing to follow the law in the Order," Abbott wrote.
Pastor acknowledged Abbott's warning in another since-deleted TikTok post shared on November 26.
“When the gov of Texas threatens you on twitter because he is mad you exercised freedom of speech,” Pastor captioned a TikTok post.
A representative for the Texas Children's Hospital issued a statement confirming the facility would comply with Abbott's executive order and affirmed that Pastor's stance didn't reflect the entire hospital.
"Texas Children’s fully supports Governor Abbott’s new Executive Order and is in full compliance," the statement reads. "We have worked closely with the Texas Hospital Association and our industry partners across the state to ensure compliance in advance of the effective date. While we recognize that individuals working at Texas Children’s hold their own personal views on many topics, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of Texas Children’s Hospital. We will continue to prioritize patient care while ensuring we are in full compliance with all laws and legal directives."