[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H122-H126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1834, BREAKING THE GRIDLOCK ACT
Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2 of rule XV, I call up
the motion to discharge previously noticed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York calls up a
motion to discharge the Committee on Rules from further consideration
of House Resolution 780.
The Clerk will report the title of the resolution.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the gentleman from New York
(Mr. Jeffries) will be recognized for 10
[[Page H123]]
minutes and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith) will be recognized
for 10 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call up a bipartisan
motion to discharge legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act tax
credits to make sure that tens of millions of everyday Americans do not
experience dramatically increased premiums, copays, and deductibles
that will prevent them from being able to go see a doctor when they
need one.
I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on this bipartisan motion so that we
can take a meaningful step forward in this Congress to address the
healthcare crisis in the United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, it is pretty simple: I oppose
this motion, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity in this Congress in
a bipartisan way to address the healthcare crisis in this country and
to make sure that tens of millions of people have the ability to go see
a doctor when they need one in this great country of ours.
We have an affordability crisis in the United States of America. We
know that healthcare costs are out of control, housing costs are out of
control, and grocery costs are out of control. There is an
affordability crisis that needs to be addressed decisively, and we have
an ability to take meaningful action today. Vote ``yes'' on advancing
this motion to discharge.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York
to discharge the Committee on Rules from further consideration of House
Resolution 780.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 221,
nays 205, not voting 5, as follows:
[Roll No. 4]
YEAS--221
Adams
Aguilar
Amo
Ansari
Auchincloss
Balint
Barragan
Beatty
Bell
Bera
Beyer
Bishop
Bonamici
Boyle (PA)
Bresnahan
Brown
Brownley
Budzinski
Bynum
Carbajal
Carson
Carter (LA)
Casar
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Conaway
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crockett
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis (IL)
Davis (NC)
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
Dexter
Dingell
Doggett
Elfreth
Escobar
Espaillat
Evans (PA)
Fields
Figures
Fitzpatrick
Fletcher
Foster
Foushee
Frankel, Lois
Friedman
Frost
Garamendi
Garcia (CA)
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Gillen
Golden (ME)
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Gonzalez, V.
Goodlander
Gottheimer
Gray
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Harder (CA)
Hayes
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Hoyle (OR)
Huffman
Ivey
Jackson (IL)
Jacobs
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Kamlager-Dove
Kaptur
Kean
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy (NY)
Khanna
Krishnamoorthi
LaLota
Landsman
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latimer
Lawler
Lee (NV)
Lee (PA)
Leger Fernandez
Levin
Liccardo
Lieu
Lofgren
Lynch
Mackenzie
Magaziner
Mannion
Matsui
McBath
McBride
McClain Delaney
McClellan
McCollum
McDonald Rivet
McGarvey
McGovern
McIver
Meeks
Menendez
Meng
Mfume
Miller (OH)
Min
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Morrison
Moskowitz
Moulton
Mrvan
Mullin
Nadler
Neal
Neguse
Norcross
Ocasio-Cortez
Olszewski
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pelosi
Perez
Peters
Pettersen
Pingree
Pocan
Pou
Pressley
Quigley
Ramirez
Randall
Raskin
Riley (NY)
Rivas
Ross
Ruiz
Ryan
Salazar
Salinas
Sanchez
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schneider
Scholten
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherman
Simon
Smith (WA)
Sorensen
Soto
Stansbury
Stanton
Stevens
Strickland
Subramanyam
Suozzi
Swalwell
Sykes
Takano
Thanedar
Thompson (CA)
Titus
Tlaib
Tokuda
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Tran
Underwood
Valadao
Vargas
Vasquez
Veasey
Velazquez
Vindman
Walkinshaw
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Whitesides
Williams (GA)
Wilson (FL)
NAYS--205
Aderholt
Alford
Allen
Amodei (NV)
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Balderson
Barr
Barrett
Baumgartner
Bean (FL)
Begich
Bentz
Bergman
Bice
Biggs (AZ)
Biggs (SC)
Bilirakis
Boebert
Bost
Brecheen
Buchanan
Burchett
Burlison
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Ciscomani
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Collins
Comer
Crane
Crank
Crawford
Crenshaw
Davidson
De La Cruz
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Downing
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Evans (CO)
Ezell
Fallon
Fedorchak
Feenstra
Fine
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fleischmann
Flood
Fong
Foxx
Franklin, Scott
Fry
Fulcher
Garbarino
Gill (TX)
Gimenez
Goldman (TX)
Gonzales, Tony
Gooden
Gosar
Graves
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
Hamadeh (AZ)
Haridopolos
Harrigan
Harris (MD)
Harris (NC)
Harshbarger
Hern (OK)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Hinson
Houchin
Hudson
Huizenga
Hunt
Hurd (CO)
Issa
Jack
Jackson (TX)
James
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy (UT)
Kiggans (VA)
Kiley (CA)
Kim
Knott
Kustoff
LaHood
Langworthy
Latta
Lee (FL)
Letlow
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luna
Luttrell
Mace
Malliotakis
Maloy
Mann
Massie
Mast
McClain
McClintock
McCormick
McDowell
McGuire
Messmer
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Moolenaar
Moore (AL)
Moore (NC)
Moore (UT)
Moore (WV)
Moran
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Nunn (IA)
Obernolte
Ogles
Onder
Owens
Palmer
Patronis
Perry
Pfluger
Reschenthaler
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rouzer
Roy
Rulli
Scalise
Schmidt
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Self
Sessions
Shreve
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spartz
Stauber
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Strong
Stutzman
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Turner (OH)
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Van Epps
Van Orden
Wagner
Walberg
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Westerman
Wied
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Yakym
Zinke
NOT VOTING--5
Baird
McCaul
Murphy
Rutherford
Thompson (MS)
{time} 1744
So the motion to discharge was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kennedy of Utah). The clerk will report
the resolution.
The Clerk read the resolution as follows:
H. Res. 780
Resolved, That immediately upon adoption of this
resolution, the House shall proceed to the consideration in
the House of the bill (H.R. 1834) to advance policy
priorities that will break the gridlock. All points of order
against consideration of the bill are waived. An amendment in
the nature of a substitute received for printing in the
portion of the Congressional Record designated for that
purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII dated at least one day
before the day of consideration of H.R. 1834, if submitted by
the ranking minority member of the Committee on Rules, shall
be considered as adopted. If more than one such amendment is
submitted, then only the last amendment submitted shall be
considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be
considered as read. All points of order against provisions in
the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall
be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any
further amendment thereto, to final passage without
intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally
divided and controlled by the majority leader and minority
leader or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to
recommit.
Sec. 2. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX and clause 8 of rule XX
shall not apply to the consideration of H.R. 1834.
Sec. 3. The Clerk shall transmit to the Senate a message
that the House has passed H.R. 1834 no later than one
calendar day after passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York is recognized
for 1 hour.
Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the
distinguished gentleman from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Mr.
McGovern) control the remainder of my time.
[[Page H124]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) will control the time.
There was no objection.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, during consideration of this resolution,
all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only.
General Leave
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is, it is about damn time. I mean, we have
had to wait months while the Republican leadership of this House
dragged their feet, all so we could take up a simple vote on whether to
stop people's healthcare premiums from doubling or tripling.
We could have done this months ago. Instead, Republican leadership
literally shut down the entire government rather than just allow this
one vote on making sure that regular people can afford their
healthcare. That is absurd.
If billionaires want another tax break, they get it in a nanosecond.
If the rich and powerful want another loophole, it materializes out of
thin air. Somehow days stretch into weeks and then stretch into months
when it comes to healthcare for hardworking families.
Every night, those families are sitting around their kitchen tables
trying to figure out how to pay for childcare so they can get to work.
They are trying to figure out how they can pay their rent so their kids
have a safe place to grow up. They are trying to figure out how they
can afford groceries amid skyrocketing costs.
Because of the stalling and hesitation and delay from this President
and this Speaker, millions of these families are now left trying to
figure out how they can afford their healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to think it is not up for debate that in
the richest country in the history of the world, no person--and I mean
no person--should be left without healthcare. No mom or dad should have
to forego their own health insurance because they can't afford to pay
for their kids and themselves. No small business owner should have to
go without coverage to pay the bills.
That is exactly what is happening right now. It is happening all
because this leadership here in this House refused to lift a finger.
They were too busy helping Big Banks, Big Oil, Big Tech, and whatever
billionaire needed a handout.
This Congress musters up the will to spend trillions of dollars on
tax breaks for billionaires and to send the Pentagon billions of
dollars more than they even ask for.
{time} 1750
Mr. Speaker, the administration came up with tens of billions of
dollars to bail out Argentina, for God's sake. Somehow, helping moms
and dads, grandparents, and kids afford trips to the doctor is a step
too far for this Republican leadership.
The truth is that this should not be a partisan issue. We are here
today debating this rule because four Republicans joined Democrats to
put good policy ahead of party and demand that this House take up this
measure. Thanks to their efforts to be on the right side of this, we
were able to get around the Speaker's logjam and force a vote on this
bill.
We have a moral obligation to act, Mr. Speaker. It is unconscionable
that anyone in the richest country in history should not have access to
good, quality healthcare.
How long have we heard that the Republican healthcare plan is coming?
It still hasn't materialized. The reality is that, in the meantime,
reversing the massive premium increases that families across this
country are grappling with is the bare, bare minimum that we should do.
America's healthcare system is broken, and I am not going to defend
the status quo. It has been broken for decades. America spends more per
patient than any other major country for the worst outcomes. People
lack access to care. Medical bills still leave families in debt. This
sure as hell isn't the healthcare system that I would have designed.
In fact, Democrats believe that every person in the United States
should have high-quality, affordable healthcare. I personally believe
in Medicare for All. Also, there is no doubt in my mind that the
American people are better off due to the Affordable Care Act.
Like I said, our system was broken long before the ACA, and the ACA
took major steps to try to move us toward comprehensive coverage. That
is part of the reason that the ACA is so popular. An overwhelming
majority of Americans support the ACA because it protects people with
preexisting conditions, provides free preventative care, and requires
coverage for essential health benefits like emergency services and
maternity care.
The ACA gave health insurance to millions of people, and improvements
made to the law made premiums more affordable. Failing to act and
failing to extend these tax credits will leave millions of Americans
paying more for their healthcare.
Families in my district are reaching out to me to share that their
healthcare premiums are going up by hundreds and even thousands of
dollars every month due to the inaction of this Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I know that many of the people back home must be writing
to you with similar stories. We can't fail these families. We can't
turn our backs on working people who are struggling to get by.
Healthcare is a basic and fundamental human right. If we have it in our
power right now, today, to help make people's lives better, how could
we not take the opportunity to do that?
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Pallone), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Energy
and Commerce.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, there is no more important bill than Leader
Jeffries' bill to make healthcare more affordable for more than 20
million Americans whose monthly health premiums have skyrocketed
because of Republican inaction and indifference.
When I was home during the holidays, all I heard from my constituents
was that their healthcare premiums were doubling and tripling in the
State of New Jersey.
This bill is a godsend. I am not exaggerating. This bill is a godsend
for people who are concerned that they are not going to have health
insurance or already don't have health insurance because they weren't
able to buy it on January 1.
What happens when they don't get health insurance? Mr. Speaker, the
effects of this don't just affect the 20 million people who don't get
it because of the Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare. The effects are on
everyone who has health insurance because emergency rooms will once
again be overflowing with people who are forced to wait until they are
so sick that they have no choice but to go to the ER because they don't
have a doctor.
Patients will be sicker. Doctors and nurses will be stretched thin.
Hospitals will be left with large sums of uncompensated care, which
will be passed on to everyone with insurance in the form of higher
monthly premiums. This isn't just about the ACA, but it is most
important for those people who had the ACA and perhaps don't have it
anymore.
Unfortunately, the Republican majority has known these price hikes
were coming all along, but they didn't do a single thing to stop this
from happening.
Last year, Republicans instead spent their time giving permanent tax
breaks to billionaires and large companies, but refused to extend the
ACA enhanced premium tax credits to help lower healthcare costs for
everyday people. Today, we have a chance to right that wrong and help
out our hardworking Americans.
Mr. Speaker, Republicans may not want to admit it publicly, but they
know that the ACA has resulted in historically low insurance rates,
helped millions of families stay covered, and saved lives--and I stress
saved lives. If we don't take action, all of this
[[Page H125]]
progress could be reversed as the American people are priced out of the
ability to see their doctors.
Vote for this bill.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Lawler).
Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, after the 43-day Democratic-led shutdown, I
agreed to sit down with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to
negotiate in good faith to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credit
with reforms.
We negotiated a 2-year extension with income limits, with insurance
reforms, and with the elimination of zero-premium plans. Unfortunately,
we could not get that bill to the floor for a vote, so I and three of
my other Republican colleagues felt that we had no choice but to sign
the discharge for this 3-year clean extension.
I am voting in favor of this discharge and this legislation to send
it to the Senate so that the Senate will have the opportunity to put
forth a reform package that can pass Congress and become law.
The fact is that health insurance premiums have risen 96 percent
since ObamaCare took effect in 2010, with insurance companies' profits
increasing by 2,000 percent.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentleman from New York.
Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, insurance companies' profits have increased
by 2,000 percent.
Republicans and Democrats can agree that our system is broken, and we
need to fix it. We need to work in a bipartisan way.
To me, this is two-pronged: deal with the immediacy of the enhanced
premium tax credit, and deal with the larger healthcare reform issues
that have to take effect. Enough of the blame game on both sides. Let's
focus on actually delivering affordable healthcare for Americans.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Olszewski).
Mr. OLSZEWSKI. Mr. Speaker, despite Americans consistently
identifying higher costs as their number one issue, today marks 369
days that this Republican-led Congress has failed to take any
significant action to address the affordability crisis. Instead,
chaotic trade policies, along with devastating cuts to healthcare and
food programs by the President, have only driven up costs.
The recent expiration of ACA tax credits makes things even worse. In
Maryland, it is the equivalent of a $4,700 tax hike. I have heard from
many constituents who are now forgoing insurance altogether, exposing
them to risks and spiking premiums across the board.
I am also deeply concerned about the chilling economic effect that
this will have. If we aren't going to pass legislation to lower costs
in this Congress, can we at least pass legislation to keep them from
going up even more?
I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the legislation before
us. Extend these tax credits for struggling families.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to insist that we pull our
Nation back from the largest-ever, Republican-forced loss of healthcare
in our history.
These catastrophic coverage cutoffs and massive premium hikes will
hammer millions of us back in Florida, and it is all because
Republicans chose billionaire tax breaks over extending the Affordable
Care Act tax credits for our hardworking families.
That is all on top of the $1 trillion that Republicans slashed from
Medicaid and $500 billion from Medicare. Over 203,000 people will lose
coverage in my district. Let's be really clear: Many of them will get
needlessly sick or die.
Thankfully, Democrats refused to accept this Republican healthcare
crisis and forced this vote to extend the ACA tax credits.
Mr. Speaker, Republicans have made life too expensive. From burger
and coffee prices to rent, home insurance, and utilities, costs keep
soaring. We can't add crushing cost burdens by forcing families to pick
between seeing a doctor and buying groceries.
Yes, Republicans chose to unleash this healthcare crisis, but they
can avoid it right now. Millions of anxious families are watching.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.
{time} 1800
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Johnson).
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of
this legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act and the tax credits.
In my district alone, nearly 100,000 people rely on these tax credits
to afford coverage, and because Republicans let them expire, many of
them are starting off the year without access to care.
I hear from families all across north Texas every day begging for
help. One constituent in Dallas, a small business owner with a child
who has type 1 diabetes, told me plainly: ``I need these tax credits so
my baby can survive.''
This is life or death for so many families in our communities. Yet,
Republicans have refused to extend these tax credits, making healthcare
unaffordable for millions of people.
I refuse to accept Republicans governing in the currency of cruelty.
It is critical that we restore these credits and put the money back in
the pockets of the people who need it the most.
I urge every Member of this body, Democrat and Republican alike, to
support this bill and stand up for the American people. We deserve
better. I will never stop fighting to protect the basic necessities
that every family needs to survive.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this critical
bill that will lower the cost of healthcare for thousands of Oregonians
and millions of Americans by extending the Affordable Care Act premium
tax credits.
Right now, too many people are struggling. At the end of 2025,
Republicans let healthcare costs skyrocket, adding to the stress
Americans are already experiencing, because Republicans have done
nothing to address the high costs of housing, groceries, childcare,
utilities, and more.
David from Tillamook, Oregon, said premiums for him and his wife
increased from $415 a month to $2,384 a month, a 474 percent increase.
For Stacy in St. Helens and her husband, their premiums went from
$539 a month to $2,396, a 344 percent increase.
It is unconscionable, it is unacceptable, and it is unnecessary. This
is the United States of America, and everyone should feel secure, not
fearful when they get sick or injured. Our constituents want affordable
healthcare. They deserve better, and we can make things better,
starting with this vote to extend the tax credits.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Virginia (Ms. McClellan).
Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of a 3-year
extension of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits.
Millions of Americans who benefited from these credits are now facing
the real prospect of losing their health insurance because they can no
longer afford their premiums. We have told their stories for months.
These are small business owners, their employees, the self-employed,
farmers, restaurateurs, beauticians, landscapers, mediators,
chiropractors, on and on.
They are people like Bobby Connor from Brunswick County, Virginia,
who is 3 years away from Medicare. Last year, with the tax credit, he
paid $34 per month for his insurance. This year, he was set to pay $92
with the tax credit. Now, without it, he is looking at $1,700 a month.
Lester and Yolanda Johnson of Richmond, Virginia, co-owners of Mama
J's Restaurant, and their 8-year-old daughter are going from paying
about $700 a month with the tax credit last year to over $1,400 this
year without it.
We have a chance to give Bobby, Lester, Yolanda, and millions like
them the peace of mind that if they get sick or injured, they can get
the care they need without losing everything.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Castor).
[[Page H126]]
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. On behalf of the over half a million
hardworking neighbors back home and across the Tampa Bay area, I rise
in strong support of the extension of the lifesaving and cost-saving
ACA tax credits.
Families are being crushed by inflation and high healthcare costs,
and they need the savings that the ACA tax credits provide. Mr.
Speaker, 4.7 million Floridians, one in five who live in the Sunshine
State, depend on the ACA. It is estimated that without the tax credits,
over 1.4 million Floridians will lose their health insurance entirely.
They are entrepreneurs. They are caregivers. They are cancer
patients. They are part-time workers. They are small-business workers
who have seen their premiums more than double, and they deserve so much
better.
That includes Yohanna, a small business owner in Tampa and the mother
of a daughter with Down syndrome, who without enhanced tax credits
defaults to an insurance plan where every visit will cost her $150 for
a copay. It includes Matthew, a truck driver from St. Petersburg, whose
premiums rose from $64 a month to $736 per month.
We need to extend these tax credits, and we need to do it now.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda).
Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, imagine being a farmer choosing between
insurance and seed, a small business owner weighing a doctor's visit
against payroll, families hoping nothing goes wrong because they are
one ER visit away from being homeless. This is the reality for rural
America today.
The big, ugly bill took a sledgehammer to rural healthcare, and
letting the ACA enhanced premium tax credits expire will accelerate the
damage and hasten the harm.
In rural America, places like Hawaii, insurance coverage is the
business model that keeps hospitals, clinics, and emergency rooms open.
When premiums rise, coverage drops, revenue disappears, and hospital
doors close. Without those credits, rural Americans will see their
monthly healthcare costs rise by 107 percent. A single premium hike
will make the difference between whether a family eats, pays their
rent, or sees a doctor.
Mr. Speaker, 2.8 million rural Americans will lose coverage. For
them, this is not politics. This is life or death.
Healthcare should never depend on your ZIP Code. This clean extension
of the ACA tax credits will save lives.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Vermont (Ms. Balint).
Ms. BALINT. Mr. Speaker, 1 week ago today, Republicans allowed the
ACA premium tax credits to expire after telling us there was no money
to do so.
Healthcare premiums have soared, and millions of Americans will lose
their healthcare coverage because they simply can't afford it.
Just 3 days later, the President found money, a lot of money, to pay
for a very extensive and expensive military raid to capture the
President of Venezuela. This regime change and the nation building that
will come later is going to cost us additional billions of dollars.
We have seemingly endless money to spend for illegal, unauthorized
warmongering, but there is no money available for healthcare for
Americans. It doesn't have to be this way. We are the richest Nation in
the world. We have the money to make sure everyone has healthcare.
Voting to extend these healthcare tax credits is the least that we
can do for Americans to show them that we are focused on them and their
needs.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Rhode Island (Mr. Magaziner).
Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, in Rhode Island and all across the
country, people are being crushed by high healthcare costs because
Republicans have refused to extend the Affordable Care Act funding.
People are seeing their premiums go up by thousands of dollars a year,
and many of them are having to make that hard choice to not go with
insurance at all and hope that they won't end up with an emergency room
bill that will bankrupt them.
Meanwhile, President Trump and the Republicans are talking about
buying Greenland. They have the money to buy Greenland but not to help
fund healthcare for the American people. They have the money. Donald
Trump wants to expand the size of the military budget by $500 billion
which he just posted today, but they don't have the money to fund
healthcare for the American people. They have the money for ballrooms
and lavish parties.
Here is an idea. How about we invest in providing relief to the
American people who are being crushed by out-of-control healthcare
costs. We have an opportunity now to do the right thing by the people
who sent us here and to extend this Affordable Care Act funding now
once and for all.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
This is it, Mr. Speaker. We need a majority of this House to vote
``yes'' on this rule so that we can have an up-or-down vote on
reversing the premium increases. It is that simple.
If we do nothing, millions of families will lose their healthcare.
People won't be able to see doctors if they get sick. Medical bills
will stack up. Millions more will be left paying hundreds or even
thousands of dollars more every month just to maintain their coverage.
They will have to cut back on food or won't be able to make their rent
because of these steep increases.
In some cases, the damage has already been done. Many people have
already decided to forgo coverage. In my home State of Massachusetts,
over 25,000 people canceled their coverage because Republicans let
premiums skyrocket.
{time} 1810
That is nearly double the number of people who canceled coverage last
year. It is a huge increase that will drive up costs for everyone and
make America less healthy. I am sure that my colleagues are seeing
their constituents make similar choices.
Let me end with this. We have the power right now to give peace of
mind to working families that they won't go bankrupt just trying to
afford health insurance. We can make their lives a little easier. We
can help them sleep a little more soundly and breathe more easily
knowing that they can afford coverage for their families.
I have said this over and over and over again, but we are the richest
country in the history of the world. People ought to have better
coverage. They ought to have more affordable coverage. Healthcare is a
fundamental human right, and we should come together in a bipartisan
way and support this rule and support the underlying legislation. We
can prevent a catastrophe from impacting millions and millions of
people in this country.
We have lots of disagreements, but, boy, I would like to think if we
could all agree on one thing, it ought to be that people ought to not
get screwed over when it comes to healthcare, that they ought not be
paying double, triple, quadruple what they normally pay for their
health insurance premiums.
I urge a ``yes'' vote on this rule. I yield back the balance of my
time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On January 7, 2026, on page H126, in the third column, the
following appeared: I move the previous question on the
resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering
the previous question. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro
tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
The online version has been corrected to read: I move the
previous question on the resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore.
Without objection, the previous question is ordered. There was no
objection. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the
resolution. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore
announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
========================= END NOTE =========================
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question are postponed.
____________________