Hakeem Jeffries says public pressure will force Congress to extend ACA subsidies

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NPR

Updated October 21, 202512:25 PM ET


Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he believes public pressure will mount on Republicans in the coming days to extend health insurance subsidies that are the heart of the shutdown fight. Most of the federal government remains shut down after Senate Republicans and Democrats again failed to pass a spending bill Monday that would reopen the government. Democrats, who have put forward their own spending resolution, remain steadfast that Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies used by more than 20 million people to afford monthly health premiums should be extended.

With the credits expiring at the end of the year and ACA open enrollment beginning Nov. 1, many buying insurance through their state's marketplace are likely to see their monthly costs soar. In an interview with Morning Edition, Jeffries said he believes "it will become readily apparent to people throughout America why it is so important for Congress to act to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits."

Some Republicans have proposed a one-year extension of the ACA subsidies, which Jeffries has opposed. In a separate interview with Morning Edition, GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York said Democrats knew the subsidies would expire and dared Jeffries to sign onto the one-year extension if he was "serious" about it.

In response, Jeffries said that "If billionaires can be provided tax breaks on a permanent basis in ways that will explode the deficit all across the country and result in people losing their health insurance … it seems to us that Republicans should come to the table to provide a greater degree of certainty as it relates to health care that's being provided to working class Americans," referring to President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/10/21/nx-s1-5580550/hakeem-jeffries-on-the-government-shutdown-and-the-ongoing-stalemate-on-capitol-hill

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Extend?

That’s using republican framing.

Democrats should be using the word PERMANENT , not “extend”

[betsuni]

4. Bernie Sanders agreed that the overwhelming majority of Americans want the subsidies extended

and that when people can't pay their health insurance premiums, Republicans "will understand that and come to the table." That Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is a tax break for multibillionaires. He was on "The View."

He and Jeffries say the same thing. They are not using "Republican framing."

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. "Extend" means they will eventually expire

Which means premiums will eventually increase, doubling or going up even more.

Republicans “generously” want to extend subsidies until January 2027, to protect themselves from Voters’ wrath until after the midterms.

Sanders, along with AOC and others, has said the subsidies should be extended in perpetuity [/i , in other words, made permanent.

Dems shouldn’t get caught in republicans’ trap of negotiating a politically acceptable expiration date for the subsidies- then they too will be blamed once the subsidies expire.

[underpants]

2. I hear the actual story leaking into RW media

I heard the local talk radio guy this morning mention what the Dems are actually demanding. It was a recap of a call from someone from the Heritage Foundation. The host actually let out that Dems don’t trust Repubs and will have no leverage if the government opens back up. Frankly it was a slip by him. It’s very straight forward and surely impacts their audience.

Fast forward to this afternoon- the RNC chair (I think) was back to “free healthcare for illegals” so….

They have gotten away from the illegals bit.
Remember, Trump really isn’t in this. He’s busy being “peacemaker”. This is really on Mike Johnson. I can’t imagine they relent at this point but if they do they can out most of it on Mike. That would be a colossal retreat and meltdown.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

3. Trump will probably veto nonetheless.

He seems immune from "public pressure."

[BumRushDaShow]

5. And if he did

The GOP will COMPLETELY "own" the consequences, which would hit their ruby red areas the most because many urban areas have organizations that have attempted to fill the gap as much as they can and none of that exists in the rural areas (even if you include their lunatic churches).