House Democrats celebrated an unexpected Christmas gift on Thursday when it came to a vote on extending expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, demanding Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) call up the bill for a vote on Friday.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s (D-NY) discharge petition reached the 218 signatures needed to unlock his bill that extends the subsidies for three years when four Republicans defied leadership to sign on. Although the petition’s rules require waiting seven days before it can “ripen” and receive a vote, Democrats are insisting it should be brought up now.
“No more excuses, no more delay, no more burying your head in the sand,” Jeffries said on the House steps on Friday morning, directing his remarks toward Johnson. “Under no circumstances should the House of Representatives adjourn until we successfully extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for tens of millions of Americans.”
The House passed a GOP-led healthcare package on Thursday, but it does not address the ACA subsidies and is unlikely to become law, leading Democrats to call it an “unserious” alternative to Obamacare.
Johnson said on Thursday the bill would get a vote in January when lawmakers return from the holiday recess. However, Democratic leaders have insisted that, since their three-year extension bill has the necessary support, the speaker should bring the bill up for a vote now instead of waiting until the new year.
If the ACA subsidies expire on Dec. 31, Americans are expected to see their premiums rise exponentially. Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said the three-year extension is the “only real plan” to help prevent that.
“We have the votes, we have the momentum, and we have the American people on our side. Let’s not waste another second. Speaker Johnson, bring this bill to the floor right now,” Aguilar said, receiving applause from the caucus.
It’s unlikely Johnson will relent and bring the three-year ACA extension to the floor, particularly after four of his own Republican conference members defected to help Democrats meet the 218 signature threshold.
The speaker has repeatedly stated that he understands the actions taken by his members, centrists who are in swing districts. Still, he also believes that using the discharge petition prevents the “regular order.” Still, he does not think he is “losing control of the House,” despite the rise in petitions from his GOP members.
The detraction happened after a deal between the speaker and centrist Republicans unraveled this week. The original intention was to include an amendment to the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, which would likely reflect a bill from Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) to extend the subsidies for two years, accompanied by fraud reform.
But that never came to fruition, forcing centrist Republicans like Fitzpatrick and Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA), among others, to offer amendments on their own to the Rules Committee. None were accepted, pushing Fitzpatrick, Lawler, and Reps. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) and Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) to join Jeffries’s petition.
“It’s not an act of defiance,” Johnson insisted after Thursday’s vote. “I understand what they’re doing. I understand that every member has a different district with different dynamics and different demographics. And some of them felt like it was a really important thing to have a vote on the floor. I tried very hard.”
HOUSE PASSES GOP HEALTHCARE BILL AMID CENTRIST OBAMACARE REVOLT
When the three-year extension for ACA subsidies comes up for a vote, centrist Republicans anticipate 15 to 20 GOP lawmakers will vote for it. Many are taking the approach that, since leadership was unwilling to provide them with a vote, their last resort is Jeffries’s bill, whether they like it or not.
LaLota said he disagrees with several parts of Jeffries’s bill, but conceded that “if it’s the only plan, I’m in.” Kiley said he’s undecided how he’ll vote, but his “goal is to get something enacted that will stop us from going off this cliff.”