House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was an ally during the government shutdown, especially regarding Affordable Care Act premiums.
Speaking to CBS News, Jeffries said Greene has been “very clear that this health care crisis is not made up, it’s real.” “Republicans have no health care plan, and that Democrats are correct in fighting to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” he added.
Greene repeatedly slammed her own party for not working on lowering health care premiums. “When it comes to the point where families are spending anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 a month and looking at hikes coming on their insurance premiums, I think that’s unforgivable,” she said during the shutdown.
Most Democrats refused to compromise and end the shutdown if Republicans didn’t cave on extending tax credits that expanded subsidies available for people to buy insurance on Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Should they expire, premiums could double.
However, a group of eight Democratic senators reached an agreement, settling for a promise that a bill on the matter by the second week of December. Its outcome is already uncertain, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying he wouldn’t promise the vote will take place.
Several Democrats slammed their colleagues for supporting the deal. Sen. Chris Murphy warned his colleagues they were making a mistake: “This bill doesn’t do anything to arrest the health care catastrophe, nor does it constrain in any meaningful way President Trump’s illegality,” he said.
Sen. Ruben Gallego criticized his colleagues as well. “I will not turn my back on the 24 million Americans who will see their premiums more than double if we don’t extend these tax credits,” Gallego said, according to another NBC News report.
Originally published on Latin Times
