Jeffries clashes with CNBC host over ACA tax credits in heated exchange
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DY, and CNBC host Becky Quick got into a heated argument on “Squawk Box” on Friday after the host pressed Jeffries on Democrats’ negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.
The debate turned tense when Quick accused Democrats of allowing Obamacare subsidies to be used for political gain; Jeffries called this claim “ridiculous.”
The two discussed what the best strategy might be to persuade some Republicans to vote to extend the ACA credits. Jeffries accused Republicans of repeatedly refusing to “take yes for an answer” on why a deal couldn’t be reached during negotiations while the government was still shut down.
YOU. GALLEGO CONFLICTS WITH CNBC HOST OVER DEMOCRATIC PRESSURE TO EXTEND OBAMACARE BENEFITS
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and CNBC host Becky Quick on the set of “Squawk Box” on Friday. (Screenshot/CNBC)
Quick questioned why Democrats were pursuing a three-year extension of those subsidies rather than a one- or two-year deal that Republicans would be more likely to accept.
After Jeffries said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had proposed a one-year extension of tax credits during the shutdown, Quick stepped in and told the House Democratic leader: “Let’s not go back to what was done in the past and what wasn’t extended. If you want to get something that’s actually done, you’ve got to do something that’s bipartisan.” [support]. Let’s not go back.”
Jeffries argued that the “context” of past negotiations is essential to understanding the dynamics of current negotiations.
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“It’s important context to help me understand that I don’t think you want to make a deal,” Quick said. “I think that’s something where you want to see rates go higher and let Republicans hang themselves on that. Is that the answer? Is that politics?”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) speak with reporters after meeting with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders about the government funding crisis at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, September 29, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“That’s an absolutely ridiculous claim and shame on you really – you should be ashamed of saying that, because we’re fighting,” Jeffries said on cross-talk from Quick, who went on to claim that a three-year deal “won’t be accepted”.
“This is not a partisan issue for us. In fact, the states hardest hit by the Affordable Care Act tax credit expiration are all Republican states,” Jeffries added.
Quick agreed, noting that Democrats “could probably have some Republicans who would sign on if you could find something that looked like a bipartisan agreement.”
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Representative Mike Lawler is seen facing off against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on October 8, 2025, the eighth day of the government shutdown. (Elizabeth Elkind/Fox News Digital)
Closing the segment, Jeffries reiterated that “this is not a partisan fight” for Democrats, but rather a “patriotic fight” to restore ACA tax credits and help Americans.
The funding bill to reopen the government signed by President Donald Trump last week does not guarantee funding for tax credits but does allow the Senate to vote in December on a Democratic-backed bill to extend those credits.
