John,
Health care for millions is hanging by a thread because House Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to allow a simple, clean vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. He is keeping lifesaving financial relief bottled up for political leverage, even as families begin receiving notices that their premiums will skyrocket next year.
House Democrats have now launched a discharge petition, the only tool available to bypass Johnson’s obstruction and force an up-or-down vote. If it reaches 218 signatures, the bill automatically comes to the floor. That means if every Democrat signs, only four Republicans need to put their constituents ahead of party politics.
These subsidies were first expanded to help families survive the economic fallout of the pandemic. They worked. They lowered premiums, expanded access, and helped drive the number of uninsured Americans to historic lows. Washington already has proof these subsidies save money, save lives, and stabilize communities. Allowing them to expire would reverse all that progress overnight.
Republican leaders know this. They know premiums will double for many families on January 1. They know working people will be crushed. Johnson is still refusing to schedule a vote because he would rather protect a political agenda than protect the people who sent him to Congress.
Tell Congress to sign the discharge petition and force a vote on affordable healthcare.
If Congress fails to act, millions of families will face the most painful premium hikes in more than a decade. The difference between affordability and catastrophe now depends on whether members of Congress are willing to stand up to their own leadership.
A bipartisan majority exists to keep these subsidies in place. What is missing is the courage to defy a Speaker who is using health care as a bargaining chip. The discharge petition gives lawmakers the power to go around him. It gives them a path to do the right thing even if Johnson refuses to.
No family should have to choose between paying the mortgage and paying for health insurance. No one should have to brace for a thousand-dollar spike in their premiums because one politician decided partisan games mattered more than human lives. The stakes are real and the timeline is short.
Congress must protect these subsidies before families are hit with unaffordable bills they cannot escape. Every day of delay puts more people at risk and pushes premium increases closer to reality. It is time to act, and the discharge petition is the way to do it.
Tell Congress to sign the discharge petition right now and force a vote to keep health care affordable.
Together, we can protect families from crushing premium hikes and defend affordable health care for millions.
- DFA AF Team
