Breakthrough On Obamacare Subsidies Signals Potential Big Win For Democrats
Nine House Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats to restore Obamacare subsidies for three years, while the Senate may unveil its own bipartisan subsidies deal on Monday.
This is what the government shutdown was all about.
Democrats seem to have broken Republicans on Obamacare subsidies. Even as Trump, House, and Senate Republican leadership oppose extending the subsidies, the political pressure of an already outraged electorate getting even angrier over the Republican caused spike in health insurance premiums has scared some Republicans into action.
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There are many moving parts before a bill can get through both the House and Senate, and Trump might screw his party over for the midterms by vetoing whatever ends up passing, but it looks like all of the naysayers who believed that Democrats got nothing out of the government shutdown were very wrong.
Democrats not only may end up getting the ACA subsidies extended, but they also have made healthcare one of the top issues of the midterm election.
First, let’s discuss what happened in the House.
Nine House Republicans broke away from their party and voted with Democrats to advance the Democratic bill that would lock in and extend ACA subsidies for three years.
Nine House Republicans broke rank Wednesday in support of advancing a Democratic bill that would revive key Obamacare subsidies for three years — a move that sets up a final passage vote Thursday that will for the first time this Congress put members of the House GOP Conference on the record for or against the enhanced tax credits.
House members voted 221-205 — with all Democrats voting in favor — to move forward with a Democratic-led discharge petition to force consideration of the legislation against the explicit wishes of Speaker Mike Johnson.
Where things start to get wild is that the House bill is expected to pass on Thursday, but it has no chance of passing in the Senate.
Read more below for how crazy this all could get.
