Dems secure four GOP crossover votes for health care petition, defying Mike Johnson's will

House Democrats secured a major blow against Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as four Republicans crossed over to sign their discharge petition to force a vote on a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies on Wednesday.

Johnson, who opposes an extension of subsidies, had refused to even schedule a vote on the matter, and warned his party against doing so, calling it an "end run around the majority."

The Republicans signing on include Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie, and Rob Bresnahan, all of Pennsylvania; and Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, reported Reese Gorman of NOTUS.

Even if the extension passes the House, it faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where a majority of Republicans already rejected an identical proposal.

If no extension or other reform is passed, millions of people face significant hikes in their insurance premiums at the start of next year, likely triggering a wave of disenrollment.