[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 16, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H5908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     ACA PREMIUM SUBSIDY EXTENSION

  (Mr. Lawler of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, for 43 days, the Democrats shut down the 
government, and they said it was over the issue of the ACA premium tax 
credits.
  I went and confronted Leader Jeffries, and I asked him to sign on to 
a 1-year extension. He refused.
  When the government finally opened, I and a number of my Republican 
and Democratic colleagues sat down in good faith to negotiate an 
extension of the ACA premium tax credits with reforms because we 
recognized that this system, as designed, is not working, that 
ObamaCare is not actually reducing healthcare costs in America.
  In fact, since it took effect, healthcare premiums have risen by 96 
percent, but we understood that to allow the premium tax credits to 
expire would hurt the American people. We sat down and negotiated, and 
we came up with several plans and compromises along the way to ensure 
not only that there was an extension but that we did eliminate fraud, 
that we did hold the insurance companies accountable, and that we did 
actually start to reduce costs.

                              {time}  1100

  We have put those bills forward on the floor in two separate 
discharge petitions. Eleven Republicans have signed on to those 
discharge petitions.
  Now, why is that necessary? Because House Republican leadership will 
not allow a vote. It is idiotic and shameful. We have been forced to 
sign on to two discharge petitions, and yet my Democratic colleagues 
will not join us but for those that were at the negotiation table.
  The Democratic leader will not release his Members to sign those two 
discharge petitions. Why? Because he doesn't actually want to solve the 
problem. He wants the issue. He wants the issue, which is precisely why 
Senator Schumer put a 3-year clean extension on the Senate floor that 
was doomed to fail, because it doesn't have bipartisan compromise.
  This place is disgraceful. Everybody wants the upper hand. Everybody 
wants the political advantage. They don't actually want to do the damn 
work.
  This problem could be solved today if everybody who says they care 
about extending this signs the discharge. It could be solved today. We 
could say to leadership on both sides: ``A pox on both your houses.'' 
Both of you are failing this country. Both of you are failing this 
institution. Move the bill forward.
  The challenge I have for every one of my colleagues is to put the 
party crap aside and sign the damn discharge today. If you want this 
vote to move, if you want to extend these subsidies, if you want to 
make sure that the American people's healthcare premiums don't 
skyrocket, then go sign the discharge now.
  We all understand one thing. You need 218 here and you need 60 in the 
Senate. We saw the 3-year extension, with no reforms, fail last week. 
To just say that we are going to hold out and wait to see if four 
Republicans sign the 3-year extension, that you know is destined to 
fail in the Senate, is a failure of leadership and responsibility.
  Leader Jeffries, come down to this floor, sign the discharge, and 
show real leadership because, sadly, my conference has failed to do 
that.
  All of us, as Representatives of our own districts and our own 
constituents, have a responsibility to stand up. That is why I met with 
my Democratic colleagues as soon as the government was reopened to 
negotiate in good faith. It is why people like Brian Fitzpatrick and 
Jen Kiggans and  David Valadao have been leading on this issue with 
folks like Jared Golden and Josh Gottheimer and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez 
and  Tom Suozzi, because we understand this needs to get done.
  There is failure of Members on both sides of the aisle who know it 
needs to get done, but they just want the issue or they don't want to 
do it because they hate ObamaCare. We know ObamaCare failed. We know it 
is not actually reducing costs, but you can't fix it with nothing. Do 
your job and sign the discharge.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Van Epps). Members are reminded to 
address their remarks to the Chair.

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