Jeffries Defends Push to Extend Obamacare Credits

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries strongly disputed the accusation that Democrats want to let Obamacare subsidies expire as a political blow to Republicans.

sarah

Nov 21, 2025 - 21:29

Jeffries Defends Push to Extend Obamacare Credits

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries strongly disputed the accusation that Democrats want to let Obamacare subsidies expire as a political blow to Republicans.

This confrontation with Becky Quick on "Squawk Box" came less than six weeks before the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire.

Quick questioned why House Democrats are seeking to extend the subsidies for three years, which he says Republicans won't support.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday dismissed as "ridiculous" the accusation that Democrats want to let Obamacare subsidies expire as a political blow to Republicans.

This confrontation came less than six weeks before the subsidies—enhanced tax credits that reduce health-insurance premiums for millions of enrollees under the Affordable Care Act—are set to expire.

Quick questioned why House Democrats were demanding a three-year extension of the subsidies, which Republicans would not support, instead of a one- or two-year deal that some might support.

When Jeffries pointed out that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had offered to extend the tax credits for a year during the government shutdown, Quick interrupted and pressed him not to "go back to what has been done before."

Jeffries said he was providing the necessary context that "Republicans have repeatedly refused to accept yes as an answer."

Quick responded, "That context is important to make me realize that I don't think you want to make a deal. I think this is something where you would rather see rates go up and let Republicans hang themselves with it."

Jeffries responded: "That's absolutely absurd... You should be ashamed for saying that."

"This isn't a party issue for us. In fact, the states most affected by the end of the Affordable Care Act tax credits are all Republican states."

The fight over tax credits was at the center of the 43-day shutdown, which ended last week without a clear resolution on health care.

Democrats wanted to permanently extend the credits, which were put in place under the Biden administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, and refused to fund the government without that guarantee.

Republicans, who hold slim majorities in the House and Senate and have long criticized Obamacare, said they also wanted to discuss health care policy. But they hesitated to negotiate without first reopening the government.

“Republicans in the House said they were willing to address the Affordable Care Act tax credit issue once a government funding agreement was reached,” Jeffries said. “Well, now the government shutdown is over, and there still haven’t been any negotiations with House Republican leaders.”

Ultimately, the funding deal signed by President Donald Trump, which received enough Democratic support to pass the Senate, only guaranteed that the upper house would vote on the bill of Democrats’ choice in December.

There is no guarantee that Senate Republicans will support that measure, or that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will take it up if it passes.