Republicans defy Johnson to force House vote on healthcare subsidies

WASHINGTON— Four Republicans in the House of Representatives left party leadership on Wednesday to join Democrats to override the GOP majority and force a vote on extending health tax credits; It was a departure that underlined the party’s growing vulnerability on economic issues ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Health tax credits, which were at the center of the fight that led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, are scheduled to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts.

Democrats and a small group of increasingly vocal Republicans have warned that allowing tax credits to expire would lead to sharp increases in health premiums for millions of Americans, a politically dangerous outcome in competitive districts.

House Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have resisted extending the tax credits and instead advocated for an alternative approach to lowering health care costs. But that stance on Wednesday showed they were at odds with members who said the issue would hurt voters.

“I’m angry on behalf of the American people,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Y) told reporters.

His remarks came after he joined Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, all of Pennsylvania, on a Democratic-led petition that needs 218 signatures for a vote on a bill to extend health subsidies for three years. The last votes needed were four Republicans.

California Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), who represents a swing district, was not among the Republicans who signed the petition but told reporters it was important for leadership to address the issue quickly. Otherwise, he said, it would be a “failure of leadership.”

“We have members on both sides who believe this is an urgent issue, and it concerns all of our members in terms of what their constituents are going to have to deal with at the end of the year,” Kiley said. “So what’s wrong with voting?”

Californians expect monthly premiums on the Covered California exchange, a state portal for Obamacare coverage, to rise by an average of 97% in 2026. Open registration for next year will continue until January 31.

Even if subsidies remain intact, premiums for plans offered by Covered California will rise by about 10% for 2026 due to spikes in drug prices and other medical services, experts said. But the failure to address expiring loans is expected to cause sticker shock across the state and country. Nearly six in 10 Americans using the ACA marketplace live in Republican areas.

A vote on the House measure is expected in January after the subsidies expire. Even if the House effort is successful, its prospects remain slim in the Senate, where Republicans blocked a three-year extension last week.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) opposed the Democratic extension, arguing that it was “an attempt to hide the true impact of Obamacare’s increased health care spending.”

On Wednesday, after the petition received enough votes in the House of Representatives, Thune told reporters that the chamber would “cross the bridge when it comes to that point.”

The crackdown in the House of Representatives underscored a breakdown in Johnson’s control of the chamber as well as deep divisions among GOP lawmakers over how to cover health care spending; polls consistently rank as a top concern among voters.

The mini-riot against Johnson follows tensions over health care talks in parliament.

Johnson had discussed giving more politically vulnerable GOP lawmakers a chance to vote on bills that would temporarily extend subsidies and also add changes such as income caps for beneficiaries.

But after days of debate, the leadership sided with the more conservative wing of the party conference; This wing attacked the subsidies as supporting a failed market through the ACA, commonly known as Obamacare.

House Republicans on Wednesday advanced a 100-plus page health care package without subsidies; Instead, he focused on long-sought GOP proposals designed to expand insurance coverage options for small businesses and the self-employed.

Fitzpatrick and Lawler tried to add a temporary extension of subsidies to the bill but were rejected.

“Our only request was for a floor vote on this compromise so that the American People’s voice could be heard on this issue. This request was denied. Then, at the request of the House leadership, I and my colleagues introduced numerous amendments and testified at length on these amendments,” Fitzpatrick said. “House leadership then decided to reject each of these amendments.”

After four Republicans broke with him on Wednesday, Johnson pushed back against the idea that the incident showed he was losing influence in the House.

“I have not lost control of the House,” Johnson said. Instead, he pointed to a “razor-thin margin” in parliament that he said had allowed a few defectors to bypass the leadership.

“These are not normal times,” he added.

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.