U.S. Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), who was elected in 2019 as a Democrat and then became a Republican in 2020, sent a letter on Friday to MAGA-aligned House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), urging an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits as the federal government shutdown reached its fifth week.
[The impasse on funding the government has hinged largely on the Democrat demand for an extension of the ACA tax subsidies scheduled to expire at the end of the year, with skyrocketing premiums to follow in 2026. Major healthcare price increases are a concern on both sides of the aisle.]
Van Drew shared his letter to Johnson on social media and wrote: “The Affordable Care Act failed to make healthcare affordable, but we can’t let the subsidies so many rely on expire. We need time to build something better. I sent a letter to Speaker Johnson urging an extension of the ACA tax credits while we reform the system.”
Van Drew warned that if Republicans allow the enhanced ACA tax credits to expire without an alternative, they will bear the brunt of voter anger. “Whether it is fair or not,” he wrote, “if we fail to act, Republicans will take the blame.”
The Affordable Care Act failed to make healthcare affordable, but we can’t let the subsidies so many rely on expire.
We need time to build something better.
I sent a letter to Speaker Johnson urging an extension of the ACA tax credits while we reform the system. pic.twitter.com/WJiQPYjOYB
— Congressman Jeff Van Drew (@Congressman_JVD) November 7, 2025
Van Drew’s plea for “more time to build something better” contradicts Johnson’s claim that the Republicans already have a plan but haven’t revealed it yet, not even to members of their own party.
As U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) complained on Real Time with Bill Maher, “Mike Johnson, for a month now, cannot give me a single policy idea.”
Johnson responded to Greene’s criticism on Fox News: “Obviously, we’re not gonna be on a conference call explaining all of our plans and strategies for healthcare reform because they’re leaked in real time, literally…They’re supposed to be private, but they’re not.”
(NOTE: In response to Johnson’s statement, many commenters referenced President Trump’s viral 2024 debate quote saying that, after nearly a decade, the GOP had “concepts of a plan” to replace the ACA.)
Members of the House Freedom Caucus, including fiscal hawk Chip Roy (R-TX), have vowed to revolt if the subsidies are extended.
In response to Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer‘s offer on Friday to reopen the government if Republicans will agree to a one-year extension of the subsidies, Roy asserted: “The GOP has solutions to empower patients and doctors and drive down prices, but Democrats are blocking us. Why? For political power.” Like Johnson, Roy revealed no details of the GOP solutions.