House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday defended his opposition to a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, a proposal backed by a handful of moderate Republicans as part of an effort to reopen the government.
In an interview on “CNN News Central,” the Democratic leader noted the short-term proposal “doesn’t even have the support of the House Republican leadership, who have refused to address the issue of extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits.”
“Our view is that we need a meaningful response to addressing the Republican health care crisis,” Jeffries added, “not simply a Band-Aid solution that Republican leadership in the House and the Senate don’t even support right now.”
The Democratic leader has pushed for the ObamaCare tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year, to be made permanent before agreeing to lend Democratic support to a GOP proposal to reopen the government.
On Tuesday, Jeffries rejected the one-year extension proposed by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), calling the legislation a “nonstarter” and a “laughable proposition.”
He noted President Trump and Republicans earlier this year adopted a permanent extension of tax cuts for the country’s wealthiest people and said they should do the same for working-class Americans, who benefit overwhelmingly from the enhanced ACA subsidies.
“What world are these MAGA extremists living in right now to think that Democrats are going to go along with a one-year extension from a group of people, meaning the Republicans, who just permanently extended massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors?” Jeffries told reporters Tuesday in the Capitol.
“It’s a laughable proposition. It makes no sense,” the leader added. “The Democratic position has been clear: Permanent extension, and let’s go from there.”
But on Thursday he suggested he was open to negotiation on the length of the extension on subsidies, as long as Republicans come to the table.
Jeffries pushed back when asked whether his position on the ACA subsidies is that “if they’re not made permanent, you won’t change your position on the shutdown?”
“No,” Jeffries responded. “What I’m suggesting is that we need to have a meaningful bipartisan discussion.”
“Our position, as articulated in the legislation that we’ve introduced, is a permanent extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” he continued. “But we’re open to having a conversation in good faith to try to address this Republican health care crisis.”
He stressed, however, his position that working-class Americans should get the same tax perks that wealthy Americans got earlier this year.
“And so the question becomes, isn’t it reasonable for working-class Americans, for middle-class Americans, for everyday Americans who are facing the possibility of dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles — we’re talking about thousands of dollars per year in additional health care costs — isn’t it reasonable for them to have a similar level of certainty in their lives?”
