Bipartisan House vote revives the Affordable Care Act tax credits despite opposition from Trump
Despite strong opposition from Donald Trump and Republican leadership, lawmakers pushed this week to resuscitate Affordable Care Act subsidies that help millions of Americans purchase health insurance, revealing a bipartisan crack in the House.
The US House of Representatives approved a bill on Thursday that reinstates tax credits, which reduce monthly rates for ACA marketplace plans. With the support of 17 Republicans and all 230 Democrats, the bill passed the chamber by a vote of 230 to 196. After discussions broke down, the credits, which were initially implemented under Joe Biden, expired at the end of the previous year.
Cross-party moderate Republicans claimed that the alternative would have resulted in significant premium increases at home. However, they acknowledged that without modifications from the Republican-controlled Senate, the bill is unlikely to become law.
During a preliminary vote on Wednesday, Republican congressman Mike Lawler stated, “I am voting in favor of this discharge and of this legislation to send it to the Senate, so that the Senate will have the opportunity to put forth a reform package that can pass Congress and become law.”
Senate Republicans blocked a similar Democratic proposal last month, and Trump has openly opposed extending the subsidies. Without the credits, many ACA members’ rates could almost treble, according to health policy specialists.
The subsidies have drawn criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has called the Obama administration’s plan the “Unaffordable Care Act” and said it encourages fraud. Four Republicans used a seldom-used discharge petition to compel the vote after the leadership refused to move forward with a solution.
Unfortunately, House leadership rejected all of those possibilities, leaving us with only two choices: a clean extension or expiration. And in my opinion, clean extension is a far superior alternative, which is why I took the course that I did,” Representative Brian Fitzpatrick stated.
The vote was presented by Democrats as a reaction to growing household expenses.
Despite what Donald Trump claimed, the affordability crisis is real, according to House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. “Democrats are going to make healthcare and other high costs, the high cost of living, the No. 1 issue for all of 2026,” said Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.
