House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries clashed with CNBC host Becky Quick during a tense interview about the future of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Quick pressed Jeffries on why Democrats allowed the subsidies to expire on December 1 when they controlled Congress, arguing that any extension would now require bipartisan cooperation. Jeffries rejected the premise and shifted blame to Republicans, prompting Quick to accuse Democrats of wanting premiums to rise for political gain. Jeffries sharply rebuked the claim, calling it “ridiculous.”
At the same time, House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Democrats for creating what he described as a healthcare crisis by pushing for over a trillion dollars in new spending to reopen the government. Johnson argued that Democrats originally passed Obamacare without Republican support and that their policies caused premiums to rise. Instead of reforming the law, he said, Democrats prefer to subsidize it further, directing taxpayer money to insurance companies and increasing overall costs.
Johnson insisted that Republicans, not Democrats, are working to lower healthcare costs by improving access, reducing waste, and removing ineligible enrollees from Medicaid. He rejected claims that the recent government shutdown fight was about healthcare, arguing instead that it stemmed from Democratic fear of pressure from the “radical left.”