Congress: Support a discharge petition to force a vote on the ACA tax credits

House Democratic leaders have introduced a discharge petition designed to force consideration of legislation to extend expiring ACA tax credits for another three years. The Democrats are hoping to entice a handful of moderate Republicans to endorse the petition, which will require 218 signatures to force a floor vote on the legislation over the objections of Republican leaders. The battle over the enhanced ACA tax credits has consumed Capitol Hill throughout the history-making federal shutdown, as Democrats had demanded action on the tax credits as a condition of reopening the government. Republicans, who have sought to repeal the ACA for years, rejected that demand, letting millions of Americans face skyrocketing health care premiums. "We believe that the American people — given the Republican refusal to act and find a bipartisan path forward — should be given the same level of certainty that Republicans have continued to give the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected,” said Hakeem Jeffries, referencing the massive tax breaks for billionaires granted in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill. As part of the deal to end the Trump shutdown, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has guaranteed the Democrats a vote on the ACA tax credits in December. But Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has declined to make a similar commitment. The House discharge petition is designed to go around Johnson and force the bill to the floor — if it can get a majority of House lawmakers to sign on. While the ACA has been a partisan issue for years, some Republicans are already clamoring for an extension of the tax credits, urging GOP leaders to address the issue before the premium hikes go into effect on Jan. 1 — ahead of the midterm elections.