10 Reasons House Republicans Shouldn’t Extend Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies

[Kamaji]

10 Reasons House Republicans Shouldn’t Extend Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies

By: Christopher Jacobs
January 05, 2026

Republicans should stop playing into Democrats’ hands and start turning their attention toward reducing the underlying cost of health care.

Congress returns to Washington this week, and with apologies to Yogi Berra, it’s déjà vu all over again. After spending much of the latter months of 2025 debating Democrat proposals to extend enhanced Covid-era Obamacare subsidies, the Republican-controlled Congress will spend the opening weeks of 2026 … debating Democrat proposals to extend enhanced Covid-era Obamacare subsidies.

Unsound Political Strategy

If this makes little sense to you, you’re not alone. But the House of Representatives faces an inevitable vote on an enhanced subsidy extension because, right before Christmas, four renegade Republicans — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan, and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York — signed a discharge petition effectively granting control of the House floor to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the rest of the Democrats.

The gambit seems inexplicable on a number of levels. It will (apparently) force a vote on a bill that the Senate has already rejected. And given that Fitzpatrick voted against the House Republican “repeal-and-replace” bill in May 2017, yet still got attacked by Democrats in the 2018 campaign over health care, the moderates’ abject surrender won’t mean they can escape Democrats’ political scare tactics this fall. But it will mean the Republican-controlled House will have to spend more time and energy debating Democrat priorities.

Worse Policy

Due to the procedural machinations associated with the discharge petition maneuver, it remains unclear exactly what piece of legislation the House will vote on. But, assuming the bill in question echoes the three-year enhanced subsidy extension that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., put forward for a vote in that body last month, representatives will have at least 10 reasons not to vote for this particular proposal:

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Source:  https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/05/10-reasons-house-republicans-shouldnt-extend-enhanced-obamacare-subsidies/

[Hoodat]

If Republicans do nothing, the subsidies end.  That is how simple this is.  But then Republicans just can't help themselves, jumping at the chance to do the Democrats' bidding for them.  Let's wait to see how quickly the Republicans screw this up.