Chairman Aguilar: Speaker Johnson, bring this bill to the floor right now.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar joined Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark for a press conference urging Speaker Mike Johnson to bring House Democrats’ discharge petition to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits to the House Floor. You can watch the full press conference here and read the transcript of the Chairman’s remarks below.
CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning, everyone. All year, Democrats have been united in sounding the alarm on the health care crisis that Republicans are creating in this country. It started with Republicans’ budget and their Big Ugly Bill—the largest cut in health care in US history. And now, Speaker Johnson's refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Of course, we know that this is nothing new for Republicans. For more than a decade, they have been hellbent on repealing the Affordable Care Act without putting forward an alternative in its place. And as we saw this week, nothing has changed with House Republican leadership, but something has changed within their own ranks.
Yesterday, four House Republicans finally joined with Democrats on our discharge petition to force a vote on a clean three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. House Democrats know that Americans cannot afford to pay an extra $1,000 every year for their health care, especially in this economy. And when people don't have health insurance, they don't stop getting sick, they don't stop needing medication, they don't stop needing care for them and their kids. And as Leader Jeffries has said all along, this is the only real plan on the table to ensure that Americans' premiums don't skyrocket by the end of the year. We have the votes. We have the momentum. We have the American people on our side. Let's not waste another second. Speaker Johnson, bring this bill to the floor right now. Next our amazing whip, Katherine Clark.
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