Democrats and Republicans have yet to find a compromise that would reopen the federal government. While Republicans continue to ask Democrats to agree to their “clean” continuing resolution (CR), Democrats continue so far to hold their ground insisting that any deal include an extension of tax credits for the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) and a reversal of the deep Medicaid cuts enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
If Republicans do not extend the subsidies, healthcare premiums for millions of Americans across the country (in both red and blue states) are set to soar, a fact acknowledged by politicians in both parties.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who with only three other Republicans recently broke GOP ranks to sign a discharge petition to get the Epstein files released, again broke with her party on health care pricing issues looming for millions of Americans.
Ignoring the GOP’s party line talking points on the ACA, and criticizing party leadership, Greene wrote on Monday: “I’m carving my own lane. And I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year…Not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!!”
Greene added complaints about the federal government funding foreign countries and foreign wars and the inability of the government to work together on “basic issues like this.” She told her constituents and followers on X: “You don’t HATE your government enough.”
Greene received a word of thanks from writer/podcaster Evan Barker, a former progressive campaign strategist, who replied: “Thank you Marjorie. From someone who literally wasn’t allowed to buy insurance until the ACA passed, who has a disease I was born with I appreciate you for standing up and not letting your fellow Americans suffer, because the alternative (millions uninsured) truly is cruelty.”
Note: Barker published an op-ed today titled ‘I Left the Democrats, But I Won’t Stay Silent About Health Care.’ She wrote from her personal experience: “I am someone who benefited immensely from the passage of Obamacare. During college and after, in-between jobs, I relied on it — qualifying for subsidies that made it affordable, using it all the time, with great success.”
Barker added: “I still believe Republicans should extend the ACA subsidies. They should also refund Medicaid. Politically, it’s a no-brainer. Millions will lose healthcare, and they will know Republicans did it.”
[NOTE on the CR: The distance between the parties here is exemplified by comparing the position articulated by U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) that “the CR is not a policy vehicle. It’s a continuing resolution to keep the government funded. It is not about changing policy, implementing policy, wedging new policy initiatives in there, none of those things” — with the Democratic rebuttal that Republicans wouldn’t negotiate before the government shut down, so why open it on the faith that the GOP will come to the table this time?]