Congress live updates as GOP lawmakers join Democrats to force vote on extending health care subsidies

Fearing the potential political blowback of allowing the tax credits to expire, four Republicans joined all Democrats to support the discharge petition to force a vote on a three-year extension. Democrats’ bill does not include any reforms that Republicans have pushed for, but some moderates said maintaining the status quo was better than allowing the credits to expire and premiums to soar for their constituents. 

These are the four Republicans who signed the discharge petition:

• Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania
• Mike Lawler of New York
• Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania
• Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania

“I think the only thing worse than a clean extension, without any income limits and any reforms — because it’s not a perfect system — the only thing worse than that would be expiration, and I would make that decision,” Fitzpatrick said Tuesday night as he unsuccessfully sought a vote on his amendment to extend the subsidies with reforms.

Lawler called last week’s Senate failed vote on the Democrats’ three-year extension a “messaging exercise” on Tuesday, but ultimately signed the petition anyway. 

“If we agree that there needs to be an extension, if we agree that the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credit would cause a spike in premiums, then we have to come together in a bipartisan way,” Lawler told the House Rules Committee on Tuesday night. 

On Wednesday, Lawler said his signature was not an endorsement of Democrats’ bill, “but when leadership blocks action entirely, Congress has a responsibility to act.” 

Bresnahan said Democrats’ discharge petition was the “only way to protect the 28,000 people in my district from higher costs.” 

“Doing nothing was not an option, and although this is not a bill I ever intended to support, it is the only option remaining,” he wrote.