Republican lawmakers are starting to panic over a key issue that some say, if not addressed ahead of a looming deadline to approve a spending bill, could end up costing the GOP in the 2026 midterm elections.
“If we don’t do something, some day soon, premiums are going to skyrocket, and not by a little bit,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), speaking with the Wall Street Journal in a report published Saturday. “I mean, we’re looking at massive increases. People will not be able to afford it.”
Congress has until Oct. 1 to pass its annual spending bill, but Republicans remain “painfully divided” over whether to shore up funding for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which offers subsidies for Americans without employer-based health insurance.
Republican lawmakers have long sought to overturn Obamacare, but have faced opposition from within their own ranks, with Republican-led states seeing higher rates of enrollment in the program than Democrat-led states in recent years.
Now, with just weeks left to craft a government spending bill for the next year, Republican lawmakers still remain at odds with each other on the matter.
“One [driver of election outcomes] is a bad economy,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who announced his retirement in June following a spat with President Donald Trump over Medicaid funding, speaking with the Wall Street Journal. “The other one is bad decisions on healthcare.”
Even House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) appears to remain undecided on whether to fund Obamacare, and at what levels, telling Punchbowl News last week that while he didn’t “love the policy,” he understood “the political realities and the realities of people on the ground.”
Democratic lawmakers, for their part, appear to have zeroed in on the split within the GOP on Obamacare, and say the matter could be a valuable political tool going forward.
“It’s not the only issue that we’re focused on, but it’s probably the unifier,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), speaking with the Wall Street Journal. “It feels like we’re pushing on a door…that may be open.”