GOP Senators Interested in Shoring up Policy Trump Railed Against for Years
Source: Newsweek
Published Jul 16, 2025 at 12:32 PM EDT Updated Jul 16, 2025 at 2:44 PM EDT
Some Republican senators are started to eye an extension to the premium tax credit, a key provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), set to expire at the end of the year, according to a new report. Newsweek has reached out to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The premium tax credit, which helps lower-income Americans purchase health care in the ACA marketplaces, is set to expire at the end of 2025 if Congress does not act. This could pose a problem in messaging for Republicans, who have generally opposed the ACA, as they face some challenges ahead of the 2026 midterms, when they are hoping to thwart losses that often come with the first midterms under a new administration.
If Congress does not extend the premium tax credit, 4.1 million Americans would lose their health insurance, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released in June. President Donald Trump and his supporters have generally opposed the ACA, also known as Obamacare, and have pushed for its repeal.
During his first administration, Trump almost repealed the health care law, but was famously rebuffed by Republican Arizona Senator John McCain voting against the administration. Trump criticized the tax credit in a 2012 post to X, writing Obamacare's "tax credit is underperforming by over 95% creating an even bigger cost to the debt." Polling suggests the ACA has remained popular, with a June KFF poll finding that 66 percent of all Americans support it.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/gop-senators-interested-shoring-aca-policy-2099765
= new reply since forum marked as read
