Nov 12, 2025 - Politics & Policy

House Democrats plot to bypass Johnson on shutdown deal

Andrew Solender

Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Katherine Clark, both wearing suits, are seen through a black silhouette in a brown room. — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Minority Whip Katherine Clark at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 22. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

House Democrats have landed on their plan of attack to try to salvage what they see as an inadequate deal to end the government shutdown: A discharge petition on extending their coveted Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Why it matters: The tactic is a long-shot — it will require Republican support that may not materialize — but Democrats see it as their last hope to force a House vote on the issue.

A discharge petition forces a vote on any piece of legislation if it is signed by 218 House members, effectively giving the minority party the power to bypass the majority on bipartisan bills.
Democrats have 214 members in the House, meaning four House Republicans would have to sign on even if they get all their members to do so.

Driving the news: House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced the strategy during a closed-door Democratic caucus meeting Wednesday afternoon, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

The leaders said the underlying legislation Democrats are pushing would renew the expiring subsidies for three years, the sources said.
That goes beyond the one- and two-year extensions proposed by various bipartisan groups of House members.

Reality check: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), one of House Republicans' most centrist members and an architect of the two-year extension proposal, told Axios the discharge petition is "DOA."

Bacon said Democrats "need to find a compromise" with Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee if they want to extend the ACA tax credits.

Between the lines: Democrats see the vote as necessary given that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has refused to commit to a vote on extending the ACA tax credits even if a bill to do so passes the Senate.

A group of eight centrist Democrats broke with their party this week and voted with Republicans to reopen the government on the promise of a Senate vote next month on the issue.
But that vote would be set at a 60-vote threshold, making passage an uphill battle.

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House Democrats plot to bypass Johnson on shutdown deal

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