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New York Liberty player Natasha Cloud made unsubstantiated claims that U.S. taxpayers are paying for free health care for Israeli citizens while speaking out about the ongoing U.S. government shutdown on Tuesday – two years after the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
“Happy Tuesday. Our government is shut down because Republicans want to take over the health care of hard-working Americans. ISRAEL has free health care. Paid for by none other than AMERICAN TAX TAXPAYERS. What are we really talking about?” Cloud wrote about X.
Israel has its own universal health care system, financed by a national income tax and an income-related health tax paid by its residents. However, some U.S. aid has an indirect impact on Israel’s health sector, primarily through military aid and smaller, targeted grants for medical equipment.
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New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud (9) during a game against the Golden State Valkyries at Barclays Center. (John Jones/Imagn Images)
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked Republicans’ attempt to reopen the government for a sixth time as pressure and threats from the White House increased. Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerDN.Y., have led the fight to reopen government on health care, particularly through the blunt instrument of expiring tax credits under Obamacare, formerly known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Cloud’s post sparked criticism and fact-checking on social media.
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New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud (9) is in the game against the Atlanta Dream during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia on August 23, 2025. (Jordan Godfree/Imagn Images)
Cloud has attracted controversy over the past year for expressing left-wing views on social media.
Cloud posted several controversial posts following the killing of Charlie Kirk and the arrest of alleged killer Tyler Robinson last month. Cloud even deleted an X post that sparked backlash, in which she made assumptions about the political beliefs of the alleged killer’s family.
“So how could you twist this? Raised in a good middle class family, Dad was an officer/church leader, whole family of Republicans and gun owners. [and] Trump supporters,” Cloud said in the deleted post.
Cloud left several other controversial messages on his feed. One article baselessly claimed that Robinson was a “far-right Republican.”
“Tyler Robinson and his parents were Republicans. FAR-RIGHT REPUBLICANS,” Cloud wrote.
Cloud also left a message on his feed containing a racially charged comment about Robinson and linking the killing to recent threats against historically black colleges and universities. The FBI, in a statement at the time, said it was “aware of hoax threatening calls” to HBCUs.
“So why did you threaten HBCUs when it was a 22 year old white boy from Utah who shot Charlie? Racism. Not politics. Racism. The difference in politics is that you give tax cuts to billionaires. Y’all are stupid but I digress. Your hatred for others is not politics,” Cloud wrote.
In July, she made controversial comments about President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Cloud, who has been a strong supporter of socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, praised the candidate while warning Trump against sending ICE to the city.
“Mamdani, my boy!” she told reporters after a Liberty practice in New York.
“If Donny wants to come here, if ICE wants to try to come here, that’s no problem.
“But [they’re] I’m going to learn the hard way… New Yorkers really aren’t crazy. They don’t play with each other. Don’t mess with this city.
Cloud then launched into a lengthy speech about his support for socialism and his belief that Trump’s opposition is “getting to them.”
“I just think it’s reckless on the part of our president, reckless on the part of this administration, but it’s also exciting for us, the people, because that’s when you know we’re reaching them,”
In June, she apparently reacted to the American military strikes on major Iranian nuclear sites, writing on X, “A Sad Sad Day” and “Grounds for Impeachment.”
New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud (9) reacts after making an assist in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center. (Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images)
In February, Cloud responded to the president that of Donald Trump decision to eliminate several government DEI programs.
“The systems of power work the way they were always supposed to work,” Cloud told the Associated Press. “And it’s time to break a system that only affected white men.”
Cloud and Liberty’s season ended on September 19 when they were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs in the first round against the Phoenix Mercury.
