Bresnahan, lawmakers urge House speaker to address health care tax credits

Rob Bresnahan and other Republican representatives in the U.S. House sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson asking to address the expiration of health care tax credits once the government reopens.

Bresnahan, R-8, Dallas Twp., and the other lawmakers wrote Tuesday that after the government shutdown is resolved the House should immediately focus on a "growing crisis of healthcare affordability" and the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which expire at the end of the year.

Extending those tax credits, which were first put in place in 2021, in a potential government-funding bill is a Democratic priority at the heart of the shutdown, which has entered its fourth week.

Democrats demand the extension of the enhanced tax credits that, for many Americans, make health insurance purchased through Affordable Care Act marketplaces more affordable. They say they won't budge until they receive a guarantee on extending the tax credits, warning that millions of Americans who buy their own health insurance — such as small-business owners, farmers and contractors — will see large increases when premium prices go out in the coming weeks.

The 13 lawmakers, which include Bresnahan and Pennsylvania Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick and Ryan Mackenzie, wrote that millions of Americans are facing drastic premium increases due to what they said is "short-sighted Democratic policymaking."

"While we did not create this crisis, we now have both the responsibility and the opportunity to address it," they wrote. "Allowing these tax credits to lapse without a clear path forward would risk real harm to those we represent. Nevertheless, we must chart a conservative path that protects working families in our districts across the country who rely on these credits."

The representatives said "significant reforms" are needed to make the credits more fiscally responsible and ensure they are going to the Americans who need them most.

"Our Conference and President (Donald) Trump have been clear that we will not take healthcare away from families who depend on it," they wrote. "This is our opportunity to demonstrate that commitment through action."

Organizations have called on Bresnahan to extend the tax credits and preserve federal health care programs like Medicaid.

Bresnahan previously said he's committed to reopening the government first and then working toward a responsible solution to make health care more affordable for the people of Northeast Pennsylvania.