Jeffries says House 'will pass' ObamaCare subsidies extension 'with a bipartisan majority'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

12/21/25 5:28 PM ET


House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) predicted Sunday that an extension of subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will pass the House with backing from both sides of the aisle. “House Democrats are going to continue to fight to get this extension through the Congress on our side. It will pass with a bipartisan majority,” Jeffries told host Jonathan Karl on ABC News’s “This Week.”

The ACA credits, which expire on Dec. 31, are set to be a subject of intense negotiations on Capitol Hill once both chambers return in the new year.

Earlier this week, four House Republicans joined 214 Democrats in signing a discharge petition bringing a three-year extension of the subsidies to the floor. While House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declined to bring the bill up for a vote before the lower chamber adjourned, the proposal will be one of the first orders of business come January.

If it passes, that will put pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and his caucus to reverse course and back an extension, Jeffries noted. A three-year extension of the ACA subsidies — backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — failed in the upper chamber earlier this month because of opposition from the majority of the GOP.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5659243-jeffries-predicts-aca-extension/

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They have a discharge petition with 218 signatures, meaning that as long as all of the signatories vote for the bill, it will pass once it hits the House floor in January and is ready for debate/vote.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

1. Excellent

[bluestarone]

2. Good news. Now

When in Jan. are we talking about?

[BumRushDaShow]

3. From here on how these work -

04 Jun 2018 The Discharge Petition: Ins and Outs

(snip)

Q: So, how does a discharge petition get adopted?

A: After the petition has been signed by 218 members, it is placed on the discharge calendar and, after being on the calendar for seven legislative days, the motion to discharge can be offered by any signer on the second or fourth Monday of the month. If the motion to discharge receives a majority vote, the House proceeds immediately to consider either the special rule or bill involved. In the case of a special rule, the House proceeds immediately to vote on it, and, if adopted, the House then proceeds to consider the bill under the terms of the special rule (which usually specified the amount of general debate time and type of amendment process).

(snip)

I think they submitted for the calendar, but of course MAGA Mike went into recess until January 6, 2026 (first Tuesday of the month). So I think technically, they could formally do the motion the following Tuesday (which would be the 2nd Tuesday of the month).

[bluestarone]

5. TYVM!

Can always depend on your threads!!

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Most welcome!!

I always try to "learn something new every day" (something my mom passed down to her daughters ).

[Red Mountain]

4. His reaction to the Trump files release was.......muted

I hope this is why.

[UpInArms]

6. Unless it is retroactive,

It will not be of use for anyone in 2026 … they will have already signed up or declined coverage

[BumRushDaShow]

8. It would probably have to have either that provision or

offer a new "open enrollment" period for everyone (which normally isn't a big thing because "life changes" like job changes, marriage, children, etc., allow for enrollment changes already).

[AZJonnie]

21. YES but it's a good point, they BETTER freaking do that enrollment re-opening or this will be some bullshit

Millions already missed Dec 15 because they looked at the non-subsidized prices and said "welp, we can't do that!". I know such people, in fact.

You'd think they'd "have to" re-open but couldn't you just see GQP assholes being like "that's a condition, you can't re-open enrollment for this year" or insisting on similar bullshit conditions that Trump told them to insist on? I'm wouldn't count on that particular chicken yet, even if the bill passes, that's another thing we need to make happen as part of it. The assholes will probably not want to.

Still this is good news for a lot of people if it passes and it's a FU to Trump, so that's cool too.

[Bluetus]

25. It will have to be that way, but it is a huge mess, and completely unnecessary.

Republicans can't govern. They don't want government to work. And when their constituents demand that parts of government work, Republicans have no idea what to do.

If people signed up for an Exchange policy, then I guess they could simply get a rebate of any charges paid so far.

If people went without insurance because they couldn't afford anything without the subsidy, then an open enrollment period would work.

But what about people who bought something else? For example, some people might sign up for those fake religious exemption "faith sharing" plans because that was better than nothing? Can they get their money back from those crooks and buy an Exchange policy?

And what about a person who couldn't afford to sign up, but then required hospitalization in January? Will that be covered retroactively?

THis is such a waste and all could have been avoided if Johnson had not closed down the house for 2 months and fought a resolution every step of the way.

[BigmanPigman]

17. Hear, hear!

Yesterday while I was cooking I listened to a podcast and a Dem congressman brought that up. It has been on my mind, too. He said that "naturally, any deal would have to have the retroactive thing included in the deal and the Jan. 2026 over payments would be refunded".

At this point I've had too many disappointments over this BS and I don't have any hope for anything anymore. It is all too fucked up and we know that MAGA's agenda is to first bankrupt us then kill us.

[Playingmantis]

9. i am sorry but..I disagree.I dont want this to pass

Most of the beneficiaries are living in red states...I guarantee they will enjoy the lesser permiums and then vote Trump and GOP..

it's like a survey I saw of Kentucky when residents said they loved KenCare but hated Obamacare..which was the same damn thing!.

Call me heartless but these clowns will not change until they feel the pinch.

Let them feel the responsibility for their votes..

if there are some decent people that get burned, well there were plenty of decent people that got killed or wounded in WW2, my father being one.

I know some will say I am heartless son-of-a-bitch but our democracy depends on throughly discrediting Trump and the whole damn GOP! And shielding these bastards from the consequences of their action will not do it!

[BumRushDaShow]

10. "i am sorry but..I disagree.I dont want this to pass"

Oh it's not gonna pass in any quick fashion.

Even if the House passes it next month, it goes to the Senate where Thune could sit on it forever - at least until his constituents "cry uncle" and he starts accepting any "behind the scenes" negotiations, and compromises for some kind of extension. And if they do that (passing something that is different from the House version), then it has to go BACK to the House for a vote or Amendments... yadda yadda yadda.

And even if the House version DID pass the Senate (without Amendments), 45 would veto it, quick, fast, and in a hurry, and there would not be enough votes to override the veto.

What this does though, is to show the American public, WHO is on their side, and all the efforts the Democratic Party is going through to help.

[Ishoutandscream2]

11. You are lumping in Red State DUers

When you say that. My 3 year old granddaughter is on the ACA. We are sweating this in our household.

[Wiz Imp]

12. "I guarantee they will enjoy the lesser permiums and then vote Trump and GOP"

Trump's name will not be on the ballot.

[Wiz Imp]

13. This isn't really news.

To pass anything the Democrats are in favor of requires a bipartisan majority since the Democrats are in the minority. The fact that the discharge petition got the required signatures means at least 4 Republicans had to sign, and if they signed the dicharge petition, they would naturally be expected to vote for the legislation.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. "if they signed the dicharge petition, they would naturally be expected to vote for the legislation."

But like the sudden reversal of fortune that happened after the discharge petition for release of the Epstein files occurred, where 218 originally signed, and out of nowhere, a fusillade of Republicans joined with their support along with 45, then you never know how it will go until it goes...

H.R.4405 - Epstein Files Transparency Act

That passed 427 - 1 in the House AFTER a 7 week STALL by MAGat Mike swearing in the member who would be signature #218, and passed by "unanimous consent" in the Senate.

It could be a similar situation as what often happens in the Senate with "cloture", where GOP members will vote for cloture to allow debate to commence and will then vote against final passage.

If they can find a way to "spin" something in what they believe will be "their favor", then they will hypocritically switch to a "different side" at any point.

[Wiz Imp]

26. None of what you just said changes the fact that

"Jeffries says House 'will pass' ObamaCare subsidies extension 'with a bipartisan majority" is not news. It was a foregone conclusion as soon as the discharge petition got the necessary signatures.

To be clear, I'm referring to Jeffries statement being pointless - it's a forgone conclusion.

[BumRushDaShow]

27. But given the fact that this administration uses death threats and other things

to force his will, we will have to see, or as they say in football parlance - "When the clock hits zero zero zero".

Yes with 218 signatures, it SHOULD pass like the Epstein Files thing but nothing in the past year has been consistently "predictable" and MAGA Mike has found ways to thwart and dip and dodge and also threaten and "promise" with lies.

[SSJVegeta]

14. Get an actual vote in the senate and we're in business

[NotHardly]

15. I will believe it when I see it. Period.

[bmichaelh]

16. Medicare for All

What GOP and Trump will not do.

Allow anyone to buy into Medicare at cheaper rates than private insurance.

This would provide some competition to private insurance.

But that is not the type of competition that GOP wants.

[PSPS]

19. "Buy into medicare" won't work

The sickest people will buy into Medicare and everyone else will buy private insurance, which will have lower rates since their risk pool will have had the risk moved out to Medicare.

No, the only solution is universal health care or "Medicare for all," like the rest of the industrialized world. Even Iraq has it since we built it into their new constitution. That gives the largest risk pool which means lower rates for every individual (enhanced by the absence of the billion-dollar-a-year parasites in the insurance corporate offices.)

[GiqueCee]

18. One has to wonder...

... what with a significant majority of their constituents about to get crushed by medical debt because of their hateful and vindictive votes, just who the hell are Republicans trying to please, 'cause it sure as hell ain't the people they're supposed to be representing. Oh... right... HIM. That tracks.
The people that elected them and pay the salaries that they barely do anything to earn, and certainly don't deserve, come in a distant second to the psychotic monster smearing ketchup all over the Oval Office, and trashing America's reputation all over the planet. Well, they'd better update their resumés, 'cause shit's gonna get real come the midterms.

[C Moon]

20. It takes Democrats to get things done.

Remember that, you dumb-ass undecided voters.

[truthisfreedom]

22. Oh, at this point it deserves its own cutesy name

like… The Unfuck America Act.

[NotHardly]

23. We'll see. Not holding my breath.