House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday said Democratic attempts to debate cuts to Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies should not be the focus of funding negotiations as Congress battles to keep the government open this week.
In a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Jake Tapper, Johnson dismissed Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ claim that Republicans have “gutted” Americans’ healthcare as “absurd.”
“We’re operating completely in good faith to give more time,” the Louisiana lawmaker said. “The Obamacare subsidies is a policy debate that has to be determined by the end of the year, December 30, not right now while we’re simply trying to keep the government open.”
Democrats, who have made health care their point of debate in shutdown discussions, have called for a permanent extension of enhanced subsidies that passed under former President Joe Biden in 2021. But Republicans are pressing to curb the subsidies and did not include an extension in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted earlier this year.
Letting the subsidies lapse could lead to skyrocketing premiums. Tapper on Sunday asked Johnson if Republicans are concerned that voters might blame Republicans for the cost increase, but Johnson once again dismissed the idea.
“The program doesn’t expire until the end of December, so we have time to have all those discussions and debates,” he reiterated.
Johnson isn’t the only Republican leader to push ACA concerns until after the shutdown showdown.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, said in an interview earlier this month that Congress is “up against a real deadline.”
“The rates are going to kick in probably Nov. 1,” he said. “So we have October to get it done.”