Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who represents the Lehigh Valley in Congress, has signed onto an effort that would force a vote in the House of Representatives to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, which make health care more affordable for millions of Americans.
In an interview, Mackenzie called for bipartisan action to keep the tax credits in place, even though some Republicans oppose extending them, and said both parties have failed to adequately address the cost of health care.
The tax credits were a key factor in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history this fall, which lasted 43 days and ended in mid-November. Most Senate Democrats refused to vote for a spending bill that reopened the government because it failed to extend the premium tax credits, which are set to expire next year.
Republicans said they would negotiate extending the tax credits after the budget vote, but one month later, the federal government has no plan to extend those tax credits. The Senate on Thursday rejected both a Democratic plan to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican effort to replace the subsidies with new health savings accounts, the Associated Press reported.
Enhanced premium tax credits, which were increased in 2021 under former President Joe Biden, make health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans who buy health insurance plans on the ACA marketplace. Premiums for those plans are expected to skyrocket without an extension on the subsidies.
According to a report from Punchbowl News, several House Republicans were dissatisfied with Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal to reform the Affordable Care Act because he did not support extending the premium tax credits.
Ryan Mackenzie among swing-district Republicans pushing for compromise on health care subsidies
Several Republicans, including Mackenzie and fellow Pennsylvania Republican Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Brian Fitzpatrick, signed on to a “discharge petition,” which circumvents the normal voting process.
Ordinarily, Johnson, a Republican, has sole discretion on which bills are brought up for a vote on the House floor. But a discharge petition forces a vote if a majority of House members (218) sign on.
The discharge petition measure signals a rift between some rank-and-file House Republicans and GOP House leaders, who have refused to bring the tax credits up for a vote.
In an interview, Mackenzie criticized party leaders on both sides of the aisle.
“I think leadership on both sides has failed on this issue,” Mackenzie said. “Speaker Johnson has not put forward a reform package on the ACA tax credits like I think he should have, and I have advocated to him for income caps and reforms that crack down on waste and abuse of different tax credits.”
He also criticized Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who refused to support a proposal some Republicans put forward during the government shutdown that would have extended the premium tax credits by one year.
The proposal Mackenzie signed onto would extend the tax credits for two years for people who make less than 700% of the federal poverty line, extend open enrollment on the ACA marketplace until March 2026, and expand access to health care savings accounts, among other reforms that would limit how many people are eligible for the tax credits.
He also signed onto a similar, separate proposal that would extend the tax credits for those making less than 1,000% of the federal poverty line for one year, and begin phasing out the credits for those who make more than 600%.
Both discharge petitions have bipartisan support. The former proposal, introduced by Fitzpatrick, R-1st District, has 17 signatures, and the latter, introduced by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., has 33.
Democrats have introduced their own discharge petition to force a vote on a measure that would extend the premium tax credits but does not include any of the reform measures backed by Republicans. No Republicans have signed on in support.
Mackenzie called on Democrats to sign onto the two bipartisan proposals that could force a vote on extending the tax credits. He said he does not support the Democrats’ proposal that lacks any of the reform measures supported by Republicans.
“We have put forward a bipartisan commonsense proposal to extend tax credits and get relief to those in need, and I think we should be moving forward,” Mackenzie said. “At this point we have already secured the Republican signatures necessary to do a discharge petition over our leadership, now it is up to Democrats if they are going to sign on and offer their signatures to get to the 218 we need.”
Punchbowl News reported that some House Democrats are considering signing onto the discharge petition, which could give it the 218 votes needed to force a vote.
However, without support in the Senate, the extensions are likely to expire at the end of the year. Plans backed by both Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a 60-vote threshold in votes Thursday afternoon.
Mackenzie has been part of a group of swing-district Republicans in the House seeking a compromise on extending the subsidies. A first-term member of Congress, Mackenzie represents the Lehigh Valley-based 7th District, which is considered one of the most competitive swing districts in the nation. He defeated Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in the 2024 election by around one percentage point.
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.
