House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that House Republicans will not allow a vote on an amendment that would extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire Dec. 31 — a decision that has angered some GOP moderates who want members on the record.
At a press conference, Johnson said roughly a dozen Republicans from competitive districts are “fighting hard to make sure that they reduce costs for all of their constituents.”
“Many of them did want to vote on this ObamaCare COVID-era subsidy the Democrats created,” Johnson said. “We looked for a way to try to allow for that pressure release valve, and it just was not to be.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), one of the lawmakers pushing for a vote to extend the subsidies, blasted the move after emerging from a House Republican Conference meeting Tuesday morning.
“I think it’s idiotic not to have an up-or-down vote on this issue,” Lawler said, calling it “political malpractice.”
“I am pissed for the American people. This is absolute bulls—,” he added.
Johnson responded by noting he recently campaigned for Lawler in New York and praised him as someone who “fights hard for New York, as every Republican in this conference does for their districts.”
Johnson said members worked through the weekend on possible amendment language, and while “everybody was at the table in good faith,” “agreement wasn’t made.”
The breakdown follows weekend friction between moderates and leadership, as GOP leaders and conservatives argued that any extension of the costly subsidies should be paired with spending cuts, The Hill previously reported.
The House Rules Committee is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. EST Tuesday to set the terms for floor debate on the House GOP health care bill, dubbed the “Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act.” The package includes funding for “cost-sharing reductions,” pharmacy benefit manager reforms, and an expansion of association health plans.
Lawler said he plans to argue for a subsidies-extension amendment during the Rules Committee hearing.
Johnson, meanwhile, said he expects Republicans to rally behind the underlying bill, which is slated for a House floor vote Wednesday. He argued the legislation would reduce costs broadly, rather than focusing on the smaller share of Americans who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
