Jeffries Says Obamacare Subsidy Extension Will Pass

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday he remains confident that Congress will extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits despite continued opposition from Republicans, Jacob Wendler reported for Politico.

Jeffries said the measure would pass with bipartisan support, putting pressure on Thune and Senate Republicans “to actually do the right thing by the American people.” (Photo: Congressman Hakeem Jeffries)

In a recent interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl on This Week, Jeffries dismissed Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s assertion that a clean three-year extension would be dead on arrival in the Senate.

He said Thune “is not serious about protecting the healthcare of the American people.”

Jeffries said the measure would pass with bipartisan support, putting pressure on Thune and Senate Republicans “to actually do the right thing by the American people.”

The House is scheduled to vote in January on a three-year extension after a Democratic-backed discharge petition reached the required number of signatures to force a floor vote.

Jeffries also criticized President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers for what he called hollow promises to lower costs.

“As Democrats, we’re promising to focus relentlessly on driving down the high cost of living, making life more affordable for everyday Americans, and fixing our broken health care system,” he said, adding that Republicans have damaged the system “in an extraordinary way,” including by enacting what he described as the largest cut to Medicaid in U.S. history.