House Republicans just showed how divided they are over health care. Thursday’s Senate votes could expose the party’s strife even further.
Senate Republicans know both parties’ health care proposals are doomed Thursday. But as Democrats prepare to unite behind a three-year extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson can’t get Republicans on the same page.
— In the Senate: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is the only definite GOP defector on Thursday’s vote on a framework by Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) that would expand health savings accounts rather than extend the enhanced Obamacare tax credits.
But a handful of Republicans have not yet said how they would vote, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. And Florida Sen. Rick Scott — who has a competing proposal of his own — said he’s still reviewing the Crapo-Cassidy bill.
Thune is already messaging around Thursday’s near-certain failure and suggesting it’ll spur more serious negotiations.
“When we get through this exercise this week the question is, ‘Are there enough Democrats who want to fix the problem?’” he told reporters Wednesday. “I think there’s a path forward. … Obviously we don’t have a lot of time to do this, but I think there are ways in which you could, where there’s a will.”
— In the House: At least 10 Republicans on Wednesday signed a bipartisan discharge petition authored by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) that would extend the enhanced tax credits for two years while imposing new eligibility requirements. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) also moved Wednesday to file a discharge petition on their own proposal that would extend subsidies for a year with new guardrails.
Both efforts are direct challenges to House leaders who appear determined to let the subsidies lapse. But they would likely need all House Democrats — and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is pushing a measure to compel a vote on a three-year extension. Asked if he would support Fitzpatrick’s bill Wednesday night, Jeffries said he had not had the opportunity to look at it yet.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told POLITICO he’s “not a fan of discharge petitions,” adding that the extension framework being proposed in the Fitzpatrick-Golden bill is one of many that has split the GOP conference.
But Golden and other centrists are urging leaders not to brush off brewing discontent.
“Leadership, no matter who they are, in both parties, House and Senate, should pay attention to what’s going on with discharge petitions,” Golden said.
— From the White House: Meanwhile, lawmakers are getting mixed signals about whether President Donald Trump wants Republicans to utilize the filibuster-skirting process of reconciliation to advance a party-line package to address affordability concerns, including health care.
Asked Wednesday if he wants to see another megabill move through the Hill next year, Trump told reporters “we don’t need it.” But hours later, White House deputy chief of staff James Blair told Semafor the administration “would love to do” another reconciliation bill.
“That’s really a partisan tool, and then obviously there’s bipartisan pathways too,” Blair said. “Which one opens up is largely contingent on whether or not the Democrats want to work on anything.”
What else we’re watching:
— Will Cuellar get his gavel back? Rep. Henry Cuellar’s (D-Texas) fate as an appropriations leader will be decided Thursday when House Democratic appropriators vote in a secret ballot on whether the recently-pardoned lawmaker will resume his former subcommittee chair role. Some Democrats are uneasy with allowing a colleague who’s been accused of bribery regain control over more than $60 billion in annual spending as the top Democrat overseeing Homeland Security funding.
— National Guard deployments in the spotlight: Pentagon officials will be in the hot seat during a 9:30 a.m. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to cities like Washington and Los Angeles. The president has said the deployments were necessary to fight crime or crack down on protests; Democrats contend the administration is illegally wielding troops against blue cities.
Meredith Lee Hill, Mia McCarthy, Nicholas Wu and Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.
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