Speaker Johnson Nixes Vote on Extending Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Tuesday said that the House will not vote on extending expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies.

Johnson spoke after a closed-door Republican caucus meeting, saying that Republican leadership could not strike a deal with moderate Republicans to bring up an amendment on a healthcare bill slated for Wednesday.

He said:

There’s about a dozen members in the conference that are in these swing districts who are fighting hard to make sure they reduce costs for all of their constituents. And many of them did want to vote on this Obamacare Covid-era subsidy that Democrats created. We looked for a way to try to allow for that pressure release valve, and it just was not to be. We worked on it all the way through the weekend, in fact. And in the end there was not an agreement — it wasn’t made.

Moderate Republicans, many of whom represent competitive swing districts, vented about the inability to strike a deal on the amendment vote.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said:

I am pissed for the American people. This is absolute bulls—, and it’s absurd. Everybody has a responsibility to serve their district, to serve their constituents. You know what’s funny? Three-quarters of people on Obamacare are in states Donald Trump won. So maybe, just maybe, everybody should look at this and say, how do we actually fix the health care system?

One complication that arose during the negotiation was Republican leadership told the moderate Republicans that they would need to find offset to pay for the extension of the Obamacare subsidies, which would cost $35 billion per year. However, party leaders often grant waivers for these “pay-for” rules.

Some GOP lawmakers may sign on to the Democrat discharge petition to extend the subsidies for three years.

“There are 214 Democrats who have signed a discharge petition that would force an up or down vote on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on Monday, “to make sure that tens of millions of Americans don’t experience increased health insurance premiums that will prevent them from being able to go see a doctor when they need one.”

“All we need are four House Republicans to join us.”

Conservatives said moderate Republicans should remember that they too have bills that would not receive a vote.

“You can’t have everything every time,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) remarked. “Even though he’s [Republican New York Rep. Mike Lawler] in a district that Kamala Harris won, we can’t just give all the committees and all the bills to the more liberal members of the party.”