It looks like the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on whether or not to extend the expiring Obamacare subsidies, after all. On Wednesday, four Republicans – Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Rob Bresnahan, (PA-08), and Mike Lawler (NY-17) – signed on to a discharge petition backed by House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) to force a floor vote on the extension.
A discharge petition is the mechanism lawmakers use to override House leaders in order to get legislation in front of the entire chamber for a vote, but it needs the approval of a majority of House members. By backing the Democrat plan, the four GOPers thumbed their noses at Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04) and gave Jeffries the 218 votes needed to force the vote.
There’s long been a stalemate between Republicans and Democrats over whether or not to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that were given new life during the COVID era. Back in 2021, Democrats increased the size of the tax credits, expanded eligibility, and capped premiums as part of a COVID relief package; those modifications were meant to be temporary and were set to expire at the end of 2025.