House Democrats Aim to Force Vote to Extend ACA Subsidies

House Democrats leaders said on Wednesday that they hope to force a vote that could extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for another three years — the first step in a fight with Republicans over the key issue that led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark said during Wednesday’s closed-door caucus meeting that leadership, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, plan to file a discharge petition on a measure to extend subsidies that expire at the end of the year, to prevent dramatically increasing health care costs for about 22 million Americans.

“We need to decisively address the Republican health care crisis, and that begins with extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” Jeffries told reporters Wednesday after the meeting.

The discharge petition would need 218 signatures to “ripen” for a vote on the House floor, and is unlikely to receive any Republican support.

“I want people to understand why we’re in this situation. It’s because the Republicans are architects of chaos and harm,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley told reporters Wednesday.

Democrats’ key demand to reopen the government was to extend ACA subsidies. However, eight Senate Democrats ultimately voted for a continuing resolution to end the shutdown, which did not contain a provision addressing the subsidies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune did promise a vote on extending the subsidies as part of the government funding deal, though it’s unlikely that a Democratic bill would pass the upper chamber.

While a group of moderate Republicans have voiced openness to negotiations on extending the subsidies, the vast majority of Republicans have been hesitant to extend the subsidies, arguing they benefit insurance companies rather than Americans.

Retiring Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who is part of a bipartisan group working to extend the subsidies, told NOTUS he would not support the discharge petition, as Democrats passed the last extension in 2023 without any Republican support.

“Our bipartisan framework is better,” Bacon said over text. He and three other members — Reps. Jeff Hurd, Tom Suozzi and Josh Gottheimer — have expressed support for a two-year extension and an income qualifying limit.

This issue is expected to become a brutal fight in December, when Senate Republican leadership told Democrats there would be a vote on the Senate floor to extend the expiring tax credits. Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed to holding a vote on the House floor for a similar measure, which is why Democrats started the discharge petition.