Four centrist Republicans have handed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) a huge win by joining a Democratic-backed move to force a vote on the extension of Obamacare enhanced subsidies.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) was the first to sign a Jeffries-led discharge petition, swiftly followed by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), and Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), to get to the necessary 218 signatures, forcing the hand of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Jeffries’s bill would extend the subsidies, which are set to expire on Dec. 31, for three years.
“As I’ve stated many times before, the only policy that is worse than a clean three-year extension without any reforms, is a policy of complete expiration without any bridge,” Fitzpatrick wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, it is House leadership themselves that have forced this outcome.”
The four Republican rebels, along with a few others, have been pushing for bipartisan options to extend the Obamacare subsidies. They made their dramatic move Wednesday morning after their efforts were nixed in the House Rules Committee on Tuesday night. Shortly after Fitzpatrick made the move to sign, he was joined by Lawler, who earlier said it was “political malpractice” not to have a vote on extending the subsidies.
Regardless of the centrist Republican frustration and Obamacare drama, a GOP-led healthcare bill, which does not include the subsidies, is still set to proceed later Wednesday.
“Letting the credits expire is not a good option, so I just think we need a responsible bridge,” Fitzpatrick said Tuesday before the Rules Committee meeting. “We are leaving no stone unturned. We want to pursue every single path, exhaust every remedy.”
HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE TANKS CENTRIST REPUBLICANS LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO EXTEND OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES
Fitzpatrick’s decision to sign the Democratic-led discharge petition came after Johnson said Tuesday that there would be no vote on Obamacare subsidies because “it just was not to be” and a heated luncheon with many of the party’s centrists.
Regardless of whether a House vote on Obamacare subsidies is forced, they will still expire at the end of the year, as the Senate has given no indication it plans to hold a vote before January 2026.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.