The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) is warning the White House that "most House Republicans don’t have an appetite for extending enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies," jeopardizing President Donald Trump's healthcare push.
Johnson's warning, the WSJ reports, shows "how hard it will be politically to stave off sharp increases in healthcare costs next year for many Americans."
"The message from Johnson, in a phone call with administration officials, came as President Trump’s advisers were drafting a healthcare plan that extended the subsidies for two years," they report.
Johnson's warning, they write, "underscores the hurdles facing any deal in coming weeks."
The enhanced ACA subsidies — the Democrats' major point of contention during the government shutdown — expire at the end of the year, affecting more than 20 million people who benefit from the tax credits.
"Many Republicans objected to the taxpayer-funded subsidies continuing to go toward funding healthcare plans that cover abortions, a red line for many GOP lawmakers, said people familiar with the objections," the WSJ explains.
The "emerging White House plan," they write, "would extend the subsidies temporarily, while imposing income caps for ACA enrollees to qualify, as well as measures to crack down on healthcare fraud, according to people familiar with the matter."
While the White House proposal is not yet finalized, Johnson has already said that enhanced ACA subsidies would be a tough sell in the House.
“What we have said is, if there was going to be an extension of that, it would need massive reforms,” including income caps and other changes, he said on Fox News earlier this month.
Extending the subsidies for two years would win praise from centrist Democrats like Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who said, “If the reports are true and the president is considering coming to the table in good faith, I believe we can find a path forward that can earn broad bipartisan support in Congress."
For now, the WSJ reports, Johnson is treading in difficult waters.
"Johnson must balance the cries from Republicans in competitive districts who are demanding an extension of the subsidies against many members’ deeply held opposition to the subsidies paid under the ACA," they write.