Democrats continued pushing for extending enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits before they expire at the end of December.
At a Capitol press conference on Dec. 1, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said “the clock is ticking” with about 30 days left before the tax credits lapse. He said that “tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased healthcare costs” if Congress does not act and that Democrats are backing a three-year “straight extension” and have filed a discharge petition to force an up-or-down House vote.
Jeffries said all but one House Democrat have already signed the petition and predicted “complete and total unity” in his caucus. He said that Democrats “only need a handful of House Republicans to join” them to advance the bill and said there have been informal member-to-member talks with Republicans, including around a separate two-year concept that would include what he called “modest reforms.”…