[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 30 (Thursday, February 12, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H2205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           PENNIE ENROLLMENT

  (Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on January 1, Republicans in 
Congress allowed the Affordable Care Act credits to expire.
  Instead of celebrating a new year, millions of Americans confronted 
healthcare premiums skyrocketing overnight. Many had to make an 
impossible choice. Just look at my home State of Pennsylvania, where 
85,000 people who receive their health insurance through Pennie, our 
health insurance marketplace, were forced to drop coverage.
  That is one in five Pennsylvanians, and it is not surprising who is 
bearing the brunt of this crisis: older Pennsylvanians and rural 
communities, some of the most vulnerable among us; 85,000 people who 
can't access preventative screenings for cancer or visit a pediatrician 
when their child is sick; and people who may or will delay lifesaving 
care because they simply cannot afford it.
  These tax credits save lives. That is why the House voted last month 
to extend them for 3 years. It was overwhelmingly supported. It was 
bipartisan. It is humane.

  My message to my Senate colleagues is this: Bring this bill to the 
floor today. We cannot waste another moment.

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