WASHINGTON — Four moderate House Republicans on Wednesday added their signatures to a Democratic “discharge petition” to force a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire this month.
It’s not clear how soon the vote could happen ― it could come as soon as this week or be delayed until January.
But another successful discharge petition is clearly an embarrassing rebuke to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who opposes Obamacare and worked hard to prevent his caucus from embracing the Democratic petition. Johnson planned instead to vote on a Republican health care package that would bolster health savings accounts but not extend the subsidies or expand insurance coverage.
“I have not lost control of the House,” Johnson told reporters after having quickly closed a vote that could have brought up the Obamacare bill immediately. Johnson wouldn’t say how soon the House could vote on the bill.
The discharge petition that reached the necessary 218 signatures on Wednesday was originally filed by Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). It’s the third successful discharge petition in the last month.
“These are not normal times,” Johnson said. “When you have a razor-thin margin, and we do, then all the procedures in the book people can think of are on the table.”
Discharge petitions allow any House member to force a vote on legislation on the House floor, a process that’s usually controlled by the speaker. Successful discharge petitions are typically very rare.
The moderate Republicans who signed the petition — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Rob Bresnahan (Pa.) and Ryan Mackenzie (Pa.) — had been pushing for a floor vote on bipartisan compromise legislation to extend the subsidies with modifications limiting eligibility.
Speaker Johnson refused to allow a vote on the other bills, however, calling it an unnecessary “release valve” for lawmakers from swing districts. It’s not clear if the compromise bills could have passed the House, much less the Senate. The moderates had said they didn’t want to sign the Democratic petition, but apparently changed their minds after Johnson held firm.
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), another moderate, told HuffPost he would have signed the Jeffries discharge petition had his signature been needed. He said he’s still hoping Johnson will allow a vote on one of the compromise bills, but he’ll vote for the Jeffries bill if he has to.
“If it’s the only plan available, I’ll vote yes. I wish there was a better plan,” LaLota said.
A similar bill extending Obamacare subsidies for three years failed to advance in the Senate last week despite getting votes from four GOP senators. It’s unclear how soon the House could vote — lawmakers had planned to adjourn for the year on Thursday — and it’s unclear if the Senate would even bother. Senators are racing to pass the annual defense policy bill this week before leaving town for the holidays.
Asked if he planned for a redo vote on health care on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
A big vote margin in the House could increase pressure on senators to act when they return to Washington in January, even though the enhanced ACA subsidies will have lapsed by then. A bipartisan group of two dozen senators met earlier this week to discuss a path forward on health care, including one potential solution from Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio): a two-year extension of the subsidies paired with reforms like more stringent income limits.
But abortion remains a key sticking point in the talks. Republicans are pushing to include restrictions on abortion by demanding to include language similar to the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for most abortions. Democrats said it was an attempt to ban abortion in blue states.
“You can’t do it after Jan. 1,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Especially when the issues of Hyde and [for] all of these people ― it’s expired already. It’s not the same as it was before. The toothpaste is out of the tube.”