WASHINGTON — Four moderate House Republicans on Wednesday added their signatures to a Democratic “discharge petition” to force a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire this month.
It’s not clear how soon the vote could happen ― it could come as soon as this week or be delayed until January.
But another successful discharge petition is clearly an embarrassing rebuke to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who opposes Obamacare and worked hard to prevent his caucus from embracing the Democratic petition. Johnson planned instead to vote on a Republican health care package that would bolster health savings accounts but not extend the subsidies or expand insurance coverage.
“I have not lost control of the House,” Johnson told reporters after having quickly closed a vote that could have brought up the Obamacare bill immediately. Johnson wouldn’t say how soon the House could vote on the bill.