Congress
Frustrated Republicans move to force Obamacare vote as warnings mount about the midterms
A group of House Republicans moved to force a vote on extending Obamacare health insurance subsidies that will expire in just three weeks, directly challenging party leaders who appear determined to let them lapse.
At least six Republicans signed a discharge petition filed Wednesday on a bill authored by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) that would extend the expiring tax credits for two years while imposing new eligibility requirements. The subsidies are currently used by more than 20 million Americans.
“It’s a time-sensitive matter, and it’s an existential matter,” Fitzpatrick told reporters after filing the petition. “You try to do things through the normal course. You try to do things through regular order. You know, [when] all those remedies are exhausted, then you’ve got to go this route, unfortunately.”
The move to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson came as a growing number of mainstream House Republicans publicly warned that their leaders’ apparent plan to allow the tax credits to expire without a replacement in place will cost them their majority in next year’s midterm elections.
“If we fumble this health care ball, nothing else is going to matter,” Rep. John Rutherford of Florida said. “If we don’t win the majority in the midterms, then none of this matters. We can’t do anything good then. I think everybody understands that.”
Johnson did not include a subsidy extension in a menu of options he presented to members in a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning, and some conservative hard-liners who attended spoke against the idea.
But many members in the meeting spoke up to call for an extension, to the point that Republicans leaving the room thought that they had in fact decided to forge ahead with an extension.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) said it would be a “bad move” for Republicans to allow the tax credits to lapse, adding that he was “worried about my colleagues.”
“There’s a lot of good people who won by one, two, three or four votes,” he said. “Do I think this issue is worth a couple points in an election? Yeah, I do.”
The Republicans joining the discharge petition include Reps. Mike Lawler of New York, Don Bacon of Nebraska and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, with Rep. Nick LaLota also indicating he planned to sign on.
That would be enough to force a vote eventually if all House Democrats sign on to the proposal, but that is by no means assured. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday he is pushing a separate discharge effort on a three-year subsidy extension that does not include new eligibility requirements.
Golden, a centrist Democrat who is retiring after his term ends, said leaders of both parties should pay heed to this discharge petition and others that have succeeded this Congress.
“Leadership, no matter who they are, in both parties, House and Senate, should pay attention to what’s going on with discharge petitions,” he said.
President Donald Trump has so far not weighed in publicly on the extension of the subsidies, saying only that he “wants to give money to the people,” not to insurance companies. Various GOP plans have been proposed that would direct money to health savings accounts instead of premium subsidies that go directly to insurers.
Senate Republicans are expected to support one such proposal in a Thursday vote, but it’s not clear it can get more support than the three-year clean extension favored by Democrats.
None of the alternative proposals has reached critical mass inside the House GOP, and without an extension, premiums for some enrollees on Affordable Care Act marketplaces will soar by hundreds of dollars within a matter of weeks, fueling the panic in the Republican ranks.
While more GOP lawmakers are speaking out about the subsidy cliff, it’s not clear how many more will be willing to sign a discharge petition — which is typically considered a major breach of party loyalty and an option of last resort.
For instance, Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) said in an interview she wants to lower health care costs and noted she’s signed onto a plan including a two-year subsidy extension.
But she said she would have to think about whether she would sign onto a discharge petition.
GOP leaders have argued, including at Wednesday morning’s conference meeting, that the subsidies are wasteful and that there is not enough internal support to extend them. But others in the party ranks have their doubts.
“I call bullshit on that,” said one conservative House Republican in a deep-red seat who was granted anonymity to speak frankly. “Most people here know we need a bridge.”
Benjamin Guggenheim contributed to this report.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune took issue Monday with a new ad campaign featuring President Donald Trump that is being underwritten with federal funds.
“It’s a great message. I like the message. But it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” the top Senate Republican told reporters.
One of the ads that has aired in recent days is virtually identical to a 2024 Trump campaign ad except that the new version states it is “paid for by the U.S. government.” Another shows images of Trump accompanied by a song titled “Love Me” and captions such as, “America will never be a communist country.”
Thune (R-S.D.) noted that Trump has not specified where the funding is coming from. The White House has defended the ad campaign as a “public service announcement” akin to spots backed by previous presidents promoting things like Covid-19 vaccinations.
The Senate will vote this week on a House-passed bill to restrict the ability of members of Congress and their families to buy and sell stocks, according to two people granted anonymity to disclose unannounced scheduling.
The vote is likely to take place Wednesday, the people said, pending GOP leaders setting up the plans on the Senate floor.
The stock-trading bill passed the House earlier this year in a 232-198 vote, with only 13 Democrats in favor. Most House Democrats opposed the bill because it would not require members to sell stocks they already own and because they viewed included voter ID language as a “poison pill.”
It will need 60 votes to advance in the Senate, meaning at least seven Democrats would need to support it.
Senate Republicans had been discussing bringing up the bill as one of their final items before leaving Washington until after the midterms — something that could happen as soon as Wednesday.
It’s one of two bills Republicans are expected to tee up this week that is being led by a Republican in a tight reelection race. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) helped roll out the stock trading bill. The included voter ID language has been championed by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who is also behind the data center costs bill Republicans also plan to put on the floor this week.
The Senate is — finally — on the verge of making a great escape.
After last week’s decision to stick around and try to make headway on a number of GOP priorities, Senate Republicans could leave town as soon as Wednesday, according to several senators and aides.
A long-sought permitting vote isn’t happening (more on that below), so John Thune’s pre-election to-do list is relatively light.
It starts with final passage of the bipartisan bill overhauling the college sports industry, which is expected Monday night. But the idea that a sports bill could be the last item of Senate business before Election Day has some optics-minded GOP senators grumbling.
“People are worried about the cost of living, I don’t know how else to say it,” said an increasingly vocal Sen. John Kennedy. “We just haven’t addressed it.”
Enter the GOP’s two-for-one special: They’re bringing up a House-passed bill — the Ratepayer Protection Act — aimed at curbing data-center-driven utility cost hikes. They hope the vote will divide Democrats on a hot-button issue and give endangered Sen. Jon Husted something to tout back home in Ohio.
Thune is expected to tee up the bill Monday night for a vote Wednesday. A Schumer spokesperson said over the weekend the bill “falls short” and said Democrats would seek a “stronger standard.”
Blocking a data-center bill wouldn’t make for great headlines for Democrats. On the other hand, they’re in no mood to do favors for Husted, who is facing ex-Sen. Sherrod Brown on Nov. 3.
Also on the agenda: Republicans are discussing votes on measures from Husted and Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is in his own competitive race in Nebraska, to roll back California’s stricter standards for vehicle emissions.
They’re also likely to vote on a House-passed bill to curb lawmaker stock trading. The stock trading bill is being led by Ricketts, and it includes voter ID requirements that have been championed by Husted.
And while Sen. Kevin Cramer removed his hold on one more nominee — Chris Klomp for deputy health secretary — the Senate isn’t expected to vote on that nomination this week.
Cramer is maintaining his broader nominee blockade over Fish and Wildlife regulations — meaning Labor secretary nominee Keith Sonderling and other picks are likely to wait until November.
What else we’re watching:
— THE SENATE’S HOMELAND ROADBLOCK — Sen. Rand Paul has become nearly impossible to get around on everything from cybersecurity to immigration legislation. The Homeland Security chair’s refusal to move forward on several legislative fronts means his colleagues will have to wait until at least January to try to advance their priorities when a new Congress convenes and Paul potentially moves to Senate HELP.
— COLLINS DECRIES POCKET RESCISSIONS — Top Republican appropriator and battleground Sen. Susan Collins Friday night blasted President Donald Trump‘s move to unilaterally cancel funding Congress enacted. Collins pledged to work with other lawmakers “to address these illegal actions.” The president declared canceled nearly $1 billion in a budget maneuver called a “pocket rescission.” The move will almost certainly set up an ugly government funding battle after the midterms, as top Democratic appropriators are also already calling on their GOP colleagues to reject the effort to circumvent Congress.
Eric Bazail-Eimil, Maggie Miller, Jennifer Scholtes and Katherine Tully-McManus contributed to this report.
-
Uncategorized2 years ago
Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
-
The Josh Fourrier Show2 years agoDOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?
-
The Dictatorship2 years agoPete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon goes from bad to worse
-
Politics2 years agoFormer ‘Squad’ members launching ‘Bowman and Bush’ YouTube show
-
The Dictatorship2 years agoLuigi Mangione acknowledges public support in first official statement since arrest
-
Politics2 years agoFormer Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron launches Senate bid
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoMike Johnson sums up the GOP’s arrogant position on military occupation with two words
-
Politics2 years agoBlue Light News’s Editorial Director Ryan Hutchins speaks at Blue Light News’s 2025 Governors Summit