House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Tuesday dismissed a Republican-backed plan to temporarily extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, calling it “a laughable proposition” that Democrats will not support.
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., introduced a bipartisan bill to extend the enhanced ACA subsidies through 2026. They are set to expire Jan. 1.
Supporters argue the measure could provide a path toward a funding deal that would end the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Jeffries, however, insisted that Democrats would back only a permanent extension of the subsidies, which were expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to lower healthcare costs for millions of Americans.
He contrasted the proposal with the permanent tax cuts for high earners enacted earlier this year under President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.
“What world are these MAGA extremists living in to think Democrats will go along with a one-year extension? The Democratic position has been clear: permanent extension, and let’s go from there,” Jeffries said.
Republicans remain divided. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the ACA subsidy issue would be debated later in the year, calling it a “Dec. 31 issue,” and warned that any extension must include significant reforms.
However, some conservatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have expressed frustration over rising healthcare costs, while moderates in competitive districts back the Kiggans bill to prevent premium spikes.
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