Democrats see health care subsidies leverage in shutdown deadline [View all]

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

12/20/25 5:00 PM ET


House Democrats pressing to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies are already looking ahead to a looming federal funding deadline as potential leverage in the fight. Both issues are already poised to take center stage on Capitol Hill when Congress returns to Washington next month after the long holiday break.

But while the two debates are technically moving separately on parallel tracks, a growing number of Democrats think it’s inevitable that the health care battle will converge with the broader spending talks as lawmakers get closer to the Jan. 30 deadline to fund the government. “I can’t see how it doesn’t,” Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) said.

Such a convergence raises the prospect that there could be another government shutdown if the fight over Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits is not resolved by the budget deadline. Indeed, some House Democrats are already suggesting that their Senate colleagues should withhold support for a spending package if the ObamaCare subsidies haven’t been extended beforehand.

“I don’t think we’re going to be eager to give them Democratic votes if this thing is still unresolved,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said.Rep. Juan Vargas (D), another liberal Californian, agreed. Asked if there should be a shutdown if the ACA issue remains unsettled, he didn’t miss a beat. “I think there should be — that’s my opinion, there should be,” Vargas said. “I mean, we can’t kick all of these people off of their health care plans because they can’t afford them. That’s outrageous.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5657603-democrats-press-extend-obamacare/