Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., filed a discharge petition Wednesday to force a House vote on a two-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, after House GOP leadership indicated a health care vote next week would not include such a measure. As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition had eight signatures, though supporters suggested it could gain backing from 10 to 20 Republicans. A discharge petition requires 218 votes to bring a bill to the floor, but Democrats are pushing for a longer, three-year extension, making the outcome uncertain.
Fitzpatrick, who introduced the bipartisan bill on Tuesday, said letting the protections expire would leave millions of Americans facing unaffordable premium increases, forcing difficult choices about their health and finances. The bill would extend the credits for two years, set minimum premiums and income caps for enrollees, allow half of the credit to be taken as a health savings account contribution, and include provisions regulating pharmacy benefit managers. Fitzpatrick and other Republicans running in competitive districts have expressed concern over letting the credits expire at the end of the year, while House GOP leadership has resisted including the extension in its planned health care vote.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who signed the petition, noted that differences within the Republican conference and time constraints prevented the leadership from advancing the bill. Democrats, meanwhile, favor a three-year extension with no changes, a proposal that even ACA-friendly Republicans find difficult to support. Two Democrats, Reps. Tom Suozzi of New York and Jared Golden of Maine, who co-sponsored Fitzpatrick’s bill, had signed the petition by Wednesday afternoon. Suozzi described the effort as an attempt to restore bipartisan cooperation to solve pressing problems, while Golden emphasized working directly with rank-and-file members across the aisle rather than seeking leadership approval.
Fitzpatrick has engaged with senators from both parties about the proposal, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he had no position on the discharge petition. In the Senate, Republicans are preparing their own alternative alongside a vote on a Democratic bill to extend the tax credits for three years.