Swing-district Republican sounds alarm over GOP's affordability agenda: 'Doing nothing is not an option'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Politics

PUBLISHED Dec 7, 2025, 7:00 AM ET


Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, one of a handful of House Republicans who won in a district that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried last fall, has a stark message for his party as the deadline to extend expiring health care subsidies and the midterm elections approach. “If you don’t have a better plan, then get on board with ours,” Fitzpatrick said. “But doing nothing is not an option.”

In a wide-ranging interview with CNN’s Manu Raju for “Inside Politics Sunday,” Fitzpatrick leaned into areas where he broke sharply with his party’s leaders, including his desire to find a health care compromise, staunch commitment to defending Ukraine and past votes against advancing major pieces of President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The Pennsylvania lawmaker is among the few House Republicans putting forward legislation to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies due to expire at the end of the year.

Though he doesn’t agree with every part of former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, Fitzpatrick made clear that a short-term plan to shield Americans from skyrocketing insurance premiums is better than anything he’s seen from his party. Fitzpatrick voted against the GOP push to repeal Obamacare in 2017 because he found the replacement “insufficient.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/politics/brian-fitzpatrick-republicans-affordability-2026

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He is the Rep. for PA-1, which is just outside of Philly. We need to make ALL of SE PA blue. I.e., remove him and replace with a (D). The main County (Bucks) that his district encompasses, just barely (by 0.07%) tipped to 45. In the past, the district has been swing but tilts blue for Presidential elections.

[BaronChocula]

1. 'Doing nothing is not an option'

Doing nothing is all republicans do.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. He voted for Johnson to be Speaker of the House

and Johnson kept them out of session for almost 2 months where they did...nothing.

[wolfie001]

3. rePUKE party has never worked for the lower and middle classes

Why would they change now especially since they've "screwed the pooch?"

[Midnight Writer]

4. They are not "doing nothing". They are levying tariffs and approving monopolistic mergers.

And removing the social safety nets for people who are caught in the carnage.

This dumbass should look over The Big Beautiful Bill he voted for. Doubling the cost of health insurance is not how to fight inflation.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Actually, they ARE "doing nothing"

because what you just described has generally been done using unilateral Executive Branch decisions (E.O.s and directives given directly to agency heads), and are being "allowed to go forward" due to the INACTION of Congress.

E.g., Congress did NOT "levy tariffs" - 45 did, through the directives to applicable Executive Branch agencies. THAT is the problem.

THAT authority is supposed to be the role of Congress, the GOP "do-nothings" have thwarted Democratic member resolutions to FORCE Congress to repeal those illegal tariffs and take back their role, and that is why the whole issue is in court right now.

And the "social safety net" has been decimated through the Executive Branch's unilateral and illegal "impoundment"/withholding of funds in order to let them expire by the end of the FY, as well as the unilateral cutting of funds that had previously been authorized by Congress.

ETA - as for the "mergers", THAT is another Executive Branch thing, where there are several agencies like the FCC, FTC, and agencies under the Treasury Department, that deal with corporate mergers. Congress just crafts the laws that should be followed when these types of moves and transactions happen.

[RetiredParatrooper]

6. This Asshat declined to impeach Donald Trump...

Twice.

[Miguelito Loveless]

7. Doing nothing?

Hardly. They are screwing their base as fast and hard as they can.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. "They are screwing their base as fast and hard as they can."

by "doing nothing" to stop their "leader" from screwing his own voters.

This now-emerging "Unitary Executive" has essentially neutered the need for any "Congress".