Republican lawmakers on Wednesday were enraged after four moderate Republicans revolted against their own party to push forward a health care petition to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies before they are set to expire.
The health care debate was a significant blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has been losing control over his own party as Republicans in swing districts sided with the 214 Democrats — adding 218 total votes — and creating "enormous tension" within the GOP, CNN chief Congressional correspondent Manu Raju reported.
Several Republicans had heated responses, voicing their anger over the swing votes from Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie, and Rob Bresnahan, all of Pennsylvania; and Rep. Mike Lawler of New York.
"To me, they're stabbing the rest of the party in the back," Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) said. "We took a bold stand and I think the president is absolutely right. Throwing money at insurance companies doesn't solve the problem. This is, to me, a betrayal to the rest of us Republicans."
Some Republicans were critical of Johnson's leadership.
"He needs to do better," Rep. Nick Lalola (R-NY) said. "He needs to allow for a vote that both addresses the short- and long-term issues of Obamacare."
It's unclear when the vote would happen, but lawmakers have pointed to Americans' dissatisfaction as a primary reason for pushing forward the bill to the Senate, despite challenges that could await the legislation from the Republican Senate majority. If the legislation is not passed, millions of people in the U.S. could see their health care premiums skyrocket in 2026.
"People feel that they have counted on, or waited for, their Congress to act on an issue that they feel is a huge priority and they see no action — there's consequences to that," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said.
