Moderate House Republicans have revolted against Speaker Mike Johnson and joined with Democrats to force a vote in January on expiring Obamacare subsidies.
The rebellion comes after Johnson blocked swing-district Republicans from having a floor vote this week on their plan to tie a one or two-year extension of the subsidies to cost-saving changes to the program.
"We've exhausted nearly every option," New York Republican Mike Lawler said. "And, you know, we worked in good faith over these past many weeks to come to a compromise bill."
The pushback, which follows months of wrangling on the issue, is too late to stop a spike in premiums for more than 20 million Americans when the Covid-era subsidies expire on Dec. 31. But it will at least force the House to vote on the matter before open enrollment ends on Jan. 15.
Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick was the first Republican to cross party lines and sign a discharge petition to force a vote on a three-year extension of the premium tax credits, untethered to any policy overhauls. He was swiftly joined by others including Lawler, one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the 2026 midterm race. Also signing were Pennsylvania's Robert Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie.
That pushed the petition to 218 votes, a majority of the House, which now forces House leaders to bring the subsidies bill to the floor after a seven-day waiting period. The House is set to recess for Christmas on Friday.
The political uncertainty surrounding the future of the subsidies complicates matters for Obamacare policyholders, who will on average see their premium more than double without the tax credit, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health research institute. The deadline to secure coverage for the month of January was Monday.
In most cases, Americans will lose the chance to obtain Obamacare insurance next year unless they commit before Jan. 15, and it's unclear whether the Senate would quickly follow the House on acting next month. The Senate already rejected the three-year subsidy extension in a test vote earlier this month.
But, if the House passes the extension next year, it could allow the Senate to amend the bill to make it more palatable to enough Republicans to pass in that chamber.
A bipartisan group of senators convened this week to explore what such a compromise could look like, including income limits for recipients of the tax credit and anti-fraud measures.
The moderates' revolt is the latest sign that Johnson is losing his grip on control of the House. A similar discharge petition was used to force passage of a bill over Johnson's objection compelling the Trump administration to release files related to the crimes of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and passage of a bill to protect federal workers' union rights.
Johnson enjoys a slim majority with just 220 seats and a tough fight to retain control of the chamber in next year's election with President Donald Trump's declining popularity. Democrats plan to make the Obamacare subsidies the centerpiece of their campaign, focusing on the districts of the moderates now pushing back against Johnson.
Johnson on Wednesday downplayed the rift within the party over health care, saying they're working through complex issues as they frequently do.
"I have not lost control of the House," Johnson told reporters.
