House Republicans join Democrats to force vote on ACA subsidies

Sandhya Raman, Jessie Hellmann, Lia DeGroot and Ariel Cohen, CQ-Roll Call on Dec 17, 2025

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WASHINGTON — An effort to force a vote on Democrats’ proposal to extend expiring tax subsidies for three years reached the required signatures, after four Republicans signed on to the discharge petition Wednesday morning.

The discharge petition triggers a vote on a clean three-year extension of the enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act that are set to expire Dec. 31.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., filed the petition last month to attempt to force a vote on Democrats’ bill after Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., would not commit to holding a vote on any sort of subsidy extension, even if one were to pass the Senate.

The petition requires 218 signatures to be “discharged” for floor consideration, but it must wait an additional seven legislative days before a member who signed it may notify an intention to offer the discharge motion on the floor. That likely pushes any action into January, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., noted in a speech on the floor Wednesday. McGovern is the ranking member on the House Rules Committee.

All House Democrats, including recently resigned New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, had previously signed on.

After a group of moderate Republicans were unsuccessful at a Rules Committee hearing Tuesday in securing votes for their amendments on ways to extend the expiring credits with some changes, they voiced concerns that there would be consequences.

“I’ll vote for rules and bills based on the merits, not out of retaliation or spite, but there will be consequences if these amendments are not made in order,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said at the Rules hearing.

Fitzpatrick and fellow Republican Reps. Rob Bresnahan Jr. and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York signed on to the petition Wednesday morning ahead of a procedural vote on the House floor.

“This procedural step is not an endorsement of the bill written,” Lawler posted on X Wednesday morning. “I continue to believe any extension should be targeted, fiscally responsible, and include income eligibility limits and safeguards against fraud, similar to the bipartisan discussions underway in the Senate. But when leadership blocks action entirely, Congress has a responsibility to act.”

Once a discharge petition obtains 218 signatures, a discharge motion is entered into the calendar.

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