The U.S. House on Thursday, January 8, 2026, approved legislation to reinstate and extend for three years the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that expired at the end of 2025. The bill passed 230-196 after Democrats used a discharge petition to force a vote, drawing support from 17 Republicans despite opposition from GOP leaders and former President Donald Trump.
The House moved the measure to the floor after a discharge petition—signed by all Democrats and four Republicans in December—successfully bypassed leadership control of the schedule.
Seventeen Republicans voted with Democrats to pass the bill: Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Mike Carey, Monica De La Cruz, Brian Fitzpatrick, Andrew Garbarino, Jeff Hurd, David Joyce, Tom Kean, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Ryan Mackenzie, Max Miller, Zach Nunn, Maria Elvira Salazar, David Valadao, Derrick Van Orden and Rob Wittman.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York celebrated the vote on X, writing: “The House just decisively passed legislation that restores the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Over the objection of Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. If you don’t know, now you know.”
Lawler, a New York Republican, said his support did not amount to backing an unchanged three-year extension, but was aimed at moving Congress toward a negotiated outcome. “Healthcare affordability is not a political issue; it is a governing responsibility,” Lawler said in a statement. “My signature on the discharge for this bill, and my affirmative vote today, is not an endorsement of a clean 3-year extension, but rather a commitment to a bipartisan solution.” He added that he expected the Senate to consider changes and said he was “look[ing] forward to working with and voting on a Senate-amended bipartisan compromise in the weeks ahead.”
The enhanced credits were expanded during the COVID-19 era and later extended through 2025; their expiration has raised premiums for many marketplace enrollees. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain. A bipartisan group of senators has discussed a narrower, two-year extension paired with policy changes, including possible new limits on eligibility and other conditions.
The House vote also came as Congress works to avert another government shutdown ahead of a January 30 funding deadline. Lawmakers advanced a package of spending bills on Thursday to fund parts of the government through September, but additional legislation is still needed to fully prevent a lapse in funding.
