CNBC’s “Squawk Box” anchor Rebecca Quick asked Hakeem Jeffries whether he and Democratic leaders want to raise health care costs to hurt Republicans.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries clashed with a CNBC host when asked about the future of the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax subsidies and whether Democrats want them to expire to hurt Republicans.
On CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Nov. 21, anchor Rebecca Quick asked Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, if he and Democratic leaders are now supporting raising health care costs to hurt Republicans politically.
Without renewal, premiums for 22 million lower- and middle-class Americans are expected to double or even triple in 2026.
Quick asked why House Democrats are seeking a three-year extension of the aid, which Republicans say they don’t support, rather than a one- or two-year deal that some Republicans have suggested they might support. Democrats are trying to force their plan through the House, but they would need the support of at least four Republicans to move forward.
“I don’t think you want a deal,” she said. “I think they want to raise interest rates even higher so the Republicans can get away with it. Is that the answer?”
“That’s an absolutely ridiculous claim…I’m embarrassed to say that,” Jeffries responded.
“This is not a partisan issue for us. In fact, all of the states that have been most impacted related to the expiration of the Affordable Care Act tax credits are Republican states,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers have called for an extension of Obamacare subsidies to be included in the spending plan to reopen the government. But eight Senate Democrats relented and on November 10 voted with Republicans to end the record 43-day government shutdown without extending the aid.
Patient advocates say the subsidy faces a steep road to passage before the end of the year.
Senate Minority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) has promised a vote in December on a plan to extend Obamacare subsidies that help millions of Americans access health care. But Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has not committed to holding a similar vote on the floor.
