There were reports that the Trump White House was ready to announce a proposal to extend Obamacare subsidies for two years. On Monday, the White House postponed the announcement of its healthcare proposal.
Speaker Mike Johnson was the reason why.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) cautioned the White House that most House Republicans don’t have an appetite for extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, according to people familiar with the matter, showing how hard it will be politically to stave off sharp increases in healthcare costs next year for many Americans.
The message from Johnson, in a phone call with administration officials, came as President Trump’s advisers were drafting a healthcare plan that extended the subsidies for two years.
The only problem is that there seem to be enough moderate Republican votes to pass an extension of the Obamacare subsidies if it was brought to the House floor.
It isn’t that Mike Johnson doesn’t have the votes to extend the subsidies. It’s that Mike Johnson does not want to extend the subsidies.
Hakeem Jeffries called out Johnson on CNN:
It seems to me that the votes do exist in the House of Representatives. As well as potentially in the Senate to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. But unfortunately, House Republican leaders have zero interest in doing that.
This is the same group of people who have brought us this Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating people all across the country.
Keep in mind. That Republicans this year in their one big ugly bill enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. 14 million Americans are on the brink of losing their health insurance. As a result, hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health centers are closing all across the country.
Continue reading and watch Jeffries below.
