Four swing-district Republicans broke with Magic Mike Johnson yesterday and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vote on extending for three years the subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans. The bad news is, it won’t happen until January. Via the Associated Press:
The stunning move came the same day that House Republican leaders pushed to passage a health care bill that does not address the soaring monthly premiums that millions of people will soon endure. Those premium hikes will occur because the tax credits for those who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act expire at year’s end.
The developments set the stage for a renewed intraparty clash over health care in January, something Republican leaders had been working hard to avoid.
The moderate Republicans were able to force the issue by signing a petition, led by Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, to vote on a bill that would extend the ACA subsides for three years.
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 magic number of 218. A vote on the subsidy bill could come as soon as January under House rules.
