Chuck Schumer Pushes Obamacare Subsidy Extension Despite Strong GOP Resistance Ahead Vote

Senate Democrats released their plan Thursday to keep Obamacare subsidies from expiring at the end of the year, but the proposal faces significant resistance in the Republican-controlled Senate, as reported by Fox News.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced that Democrats will move forward with legislation that would extend the current subsidies for three years without any changes.

“I’m announcing that Senate Democrats will introduce legislation for a clean, three-year extension of the current [Obamacare] tax credits,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

“This is the bill, a clean, three-year extension of [Obamacare] tax credits that Democrats will bring to the floor of the Senate for a vote next Thursday. And every single Democrat will support it.”

Democrats’ strategy mirrors an option already outlined by House Democrats.

The Senate is expected to vote by Dec. 11, a timeline set by Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, who previously guaranteed Democrats the opportunity to present a proposal of their choosing. Senate Republicans, however, have pushed for a bipartisan agreement that includes reforms, but no such plan has emerged.

Republicans have insisted that any extension must include policy changes such as income caps and provisions ensuring taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortions.

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While Democrats have said they are willing to consider some reforms, Schumer’s announcement signaled a preference among Senate Democrats for a clean renewal of the subsidies.

Schumer’s new proposal goes further than what Senate Democrats put forward while the government was still shut down last month.

During that period, Democrats floated a one-year extension, a plan rejected by Republicans, who argued that healthcare discussions would only take place after the government reopened.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming sharply criticized the latest plan, pointing to the length of the shutdown and Democrats’ shift in strategy.

He said Democrats had “finally, after all this time, decided what they want,” but predicted the offer would not attract enough Republican votes.

“It is a complete failure, and the best they can do is say three-year extension,” Barrasso said.

“It’s not really a credible offer at all. That’s what the Democrats are talking about. I don’t, I cannot in any way, imagine supporting such a thing, because it just highlights the fact that they don’t have a solution for the problem they’ve created with the failure of Obamacare.”

President Donald Trump has also indicated he is not open to a simple extension of the subsidies, adding another obstacle for Democrats. At the same time, Republicans have not yet unified around an alternative.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, have been developing a Republican plan that would likely direct the subsidy funds into Health Savings Accounts rather than sending payments directly to insurance companies.

They presented concepts during a closed-door GOP meeting on Tuesday, but no consensus was reached.

Schumer argued that Democrats’ proposal represents the final chance to prevent subsidy expirations and limit premium increases. “If Republicans block our bill, there’s no going back,” he said.

“We won’t get another chance to halt these premium spikes before they kick in at the start of the New Year. Those insurance premiums in January will land like a hammer blow on the American people.”

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