On Wednesday morning, a handful of frontline Republicans shocked Washington when they crossed the aisle and signed onto a discharge petition to force the House of Representatives to vote on an extension of the expanded health care tax credits.
It was a total self-inflicted wound by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had undermined the Republicans from swing districts.
Reps. Mike Lawler of New York along with Pennsylvania Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie's decision came after the House Rules Committee swatted down amendments on a grab-bag bill of health care policies that would have included an extension of the subsidies.
These Republicans, all of whom represent swing districts, had no choice but to cross the aisle to save their own re-election chances as at least 22 million Americans risk seeing their premiums spike. Now there will be a vote on the Covid-era expanded tax credits for the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplace. Given the boiling frustration with Johnson, expect a jailbreak where other Republicans join out of self-preservation.
But even if this passes, any extension of the tax credits would hit the brick wall that is the United States Senate, and there does not seem to be an appetite to get it through among Republican leadership.
As votes began on Wednesday, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the two moderates in the Republican conference, chatted with each other.
"It's not unreasonable that he wants to have seen what we're going to come up with before he takes a position," Collins told The Independent of Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that any legislation would need to raise the sufficient revenue.
"I don't know that there will be, but we'll see," Thune said.
Read more here:
0 comentários:
Postar um comentário