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.