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House Democrats speak amid Healthcare fight
House Democratic leadership spoke on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning as the battle to address rising health care premiums continued.
Four House Republicans crossed party lines Wednesday to force a vote on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits that millions of Americans rely on to lower their health insurance premiums.
The four centrist Republicans signed onto a Democratic-led petition after House Republicans moved forward with a health care bill that doesn’t take any action on the ACA (or Obamacare) subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
Which Republicans voted with Democrats?
Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, all from Pennsylvania, and Mike Lawler of New York signed on Wednesday morning, pushing it to the 218 votes needed to pass. With the GOP holding a slim 220-213 majority in the House, it only takes a few Republican defectors to upend the leadership’s agenda.
What they're saying:
"Unfortunately, it is House leadership themselves that have forced this outcome." Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
The 100-plus page health care package Republicans were pushing on Wednesday didn’t address the subsidies, but instead focused on proposals to expand insurance options for small businesses and the self-employed.
RELATED: Two-thirds of Americans say government should ensure health care for all: poll
Fitzpatrick and Lawler tried to add a temporary extension of the subsidies to the bill, but were denied.
The United States Capitol building is seen in Washington D.C., United States, on September 24, 2025. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"Our only request was a floor vote on this compromise, so that the American People’s voice could be heard on this issue. That request was rejected. Then, at the request of House leadership I, along with my colleagues, filed multiple amendments, and testified at length to those amendments," Fitzpatrick said. "House leadership then decided to reject every single one of these amendments."
"As I’ve stated many times before, the only policy that is worse than a clean three-year extension without any reforms, is a policy of complete expiration without any bridge," Fitzpatrick said.
The other side: House Speaker Mike Johnson defended his leadership Wednesday, telling reporters that "I have not lost control of the House," despite the revolt.
"These are not normal times," Johnson said.
Dig deeper:
It’s unclear whether Democrats will be successful in their push to extend the subsidies. Even if their plan passes the House, it would face an arduous climb in the Senate. Republicans in the Senate blocked a three-year extension of the subsidies last week and proposed an alternative that also failed. Four Republican senators crossed party lines to support Democrats.
What's next:
A vote on the subsidy bill could come as soon as January under House rules, but it won’t come before the tax credits expire at the end of the year. The bill being pushed by Democrats would extend the subsidies without changes for three years.
What happens when ACA subsidies expire?
Why you should care: Without an act of Congress, millions of people will see increases in their premium payments when the tax credits expire at the end of the year. The House vote won’t happen before January, and the Senate blocked an extension of the subsidies last week. That means people who depend on the tax credits will most likely see a big jump in their health care costs – at least temporarily – starting Jan. 1.
According to KFF, a major health care policy research organization, more than 22 million people benefit from the tax credits. Without them, health care premium payments are expected to increase an average of 114%, KFF found.
RELATED: 1 in 4 Affordable Care Act enrollees say they would go 'uninsured' if tax credits expire: poll
Roughly 25% of Americans who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace say they would likely go uninsured if Congress doesn’t extend the enhanced tax credits, a recent KFF survey found.
The backstory:
When Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 during the pandemic, it temporarily increased tax credits available for people who buy health insurance through the ACA Marketplace. It provided extra assistance for existing Marketplace enrollees, and also allowed some middle-income Americans who weren’t previously eligible to receive the tax credits.
The tax credits were extended as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and are set to expire at the end of 2025.
The expiring credits and looming premium increases were the reason behind the longest government shutdown in history, which ended on Nov. 12. Democrats demanded that the subsidies be added to the spending deal, but ultimately the government reopened without addressing the health insurance provisions. Republicans promised a vote on ACA subsidies before they expire.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press, KFF and previous LiveNow from FOX reporting.