[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H103-H104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    FACING TAX CREDIT EXPIRATION AND HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

  (Mr. Kennedy of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, with just 24 days left before 
open enrollment closes in New York State and with millions of New 
Yorkers facing massive premium hikes, I rise today in outrage.
  As an occupational therapist, I spent more than a decade working on 
the front lines of our healthcare system, helping patients and their 
families when an unexpected illness, injury, or disability turned their 
world upside down.
  I have seen the devastation that happens when people delay care 
because they can't afford it. Patients ration medications, skip follow-
up visits, delay essential care, and choose between putting food on the 
table or seeing a doctor.
  When healthcare is out of reach, outcomes get worse, costs go up, and 
working families pay the price. That is exactly what is happening right 
now because Republicans have allowed the enhanced Affordable Care Act 
premium tax credits to expire.
  When the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2014, it made health 
insurance more affordable and expanded access to care, putting 
healthcare within reach for millions of Americans.
  In 2021, Democrats built on that progress by expanding those credits 
through the American Rescue Plan, closing coverage gaps that left 
middle-class families paying far too much for far too long.
  In 2022, Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act to extend these 
essential enhancements through 2025.
  As Democrats, our priorities are clear. When we lead, we fight for 
working people. We fight to expand access to care. We fight to make 
sure every American can afford the care that they need. It is a very 
different story under failed Republican leadership.
  After years of trying to undermine the Affordable Care Act, 
congressional Republicans chose on December 31 to let these lifesaving 
premium tax credits expire, even over the objections from Members of 
their own party.
  For families already struggling to make ends meet, the consequences 
are immediate and devastating. Marketplace premiums have skyrocketed by 
an average of 114 percent, and these plans cost more and cover less. 
Enrollment will plummet, and millions of Americans will lose or forego 
coverage entirely.
  In New York, thousands will lose their health insurance purchased 
through the marketplace, with hundreds of thousands more facing 
staggeringly high costs. Young people in communities of color will be 
hardest hit, reversing years of progress and 4 consecutive years of 
Affordable Care Act enrollment, a record high.
  As this is happening at a moment when the cost-of-living crisis is 
already crushing working families, the people of this country are 
saying enough is enough.
  This crisis did not happen by accident. Donald Trump and 
congressional Republicans chose tax breaks for the wealthy over 
affordable healthcare for everyday Americans. They pushed through the 
largest healthcare cuts in U.S. history, gutting Medicaid, Medicare, 
and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1 trillion.
  Now, instead of fixing the damage, Republican leadership is once 
again choosing to turn its back on families by letting these premium 
tax credits expire, a lifeline millions of Americans rely on to stay 
insured.
  When people lose coverage, they don't stop getting sick. They just 
stop getting care. We all pay the price through worse outcomes, higher 
costs, and deeper inequities.
  Over the past year, many of my colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle reminded us that elections have consequences. I am here to remind 
them that this fight transcends politics.
  Ripping away healthcare from hardworking Americans has life-or-death 
consequences. That is why Democrats have forced a vote to extend these 
credits this week, and that is why I intend to vote ``yes.''
  Healthcare should not depend on your ZIP Code, your job title, or the 
size of your paycheck. This fight is

[[Page H104]]

about priorities. It is about choosing care, dignity, and security for 
families, instead of policies that push healthcare out of reach.
  Mr. Speaker, let's get this done. Let's take care of the American 
people.

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