A group of House Republicans moved yesterday to force a vote on extending Obamacare health insurance subsidies that will expire in just three weeks, directly challenging the House MAGAts who are determined to let them lapse, putting GOP moderates at risk for the midterms. Via Politico:
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.”
Another discharge petition, seeking a vote on a one-year subsidy extension authored by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), was also filed Wednesday and quickly picked up support from several Republicans.
The moves 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.”
There are also two Democratic discharge petitions, including one put forward by Hakeem Jeffries, neither of which change eligibility requirements. The Republicans are terrified of losing their nice jobs. Are they scared enough to sign onto the Democratic petition? Stay tuned.
