Now-House Minority Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, photographed in 2022. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Democratic lawmakers are privately raising concerns about a little-noticed provision in Rep. Josh Gottheimer's (D-N.J.) discharge petition to extend the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credits for one year, Democratic aides told us.
Why it matters: The discharge petition would also empower a 20-member bipartisan group to draft a health care reform package that would be guaranteed a floor vote next summer — right ahead of the midterm elections.
Discharge petitions, by design, take control of the House floor away from the majority party.
Gottheimer's proposal goes a step further, giving a group of 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans the authority to effectively write the health care bill — and set the terms of the debate heading into the election season.
What they're saying: Gottheimer said he aimed to find a bipartisan compromise that can pass both chambers.
"Our goal will always be to find something that's productive, that would obviously help people, and could become law," he said.
State of play: Gottheimer's petition trails Jeffries' effort in total signatures, but he has lined up 12 Republicans along with 30 Democrats — a more bipartisan mix than Jeffries' approach.
If Republicans balk at joining Jeffries, Gottheimer's bill could become the likeliest vehicle to reach the floor.
The bottom line: If Gottheimer's discharge petition succeeds, it would automatically extend the ACA tax credits for one year.
It would also launch a process for pursuing "more significant reforms" — as long as any resulting bill "has accumulated at least 10 co-sponsors from each of the majority party and the minority party," according to the petition language.
