By Sam Barron | Tuesday, 16 December 2025 10:25 PM EST
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said Tuesday that he would continue with his discharge petition to force a floor vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Fitzpatrick, who represents a battleground district, rebuffed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who tried to find a workaround by allowing a vote on an amendment that would be similar in substance.
Johnson told moderates such as Fitzpatrick he would agree to vote on their bill if they agreed to turn off their discharge petitions and ensure the amendment was paid for with a satisfactory offset.
The speaker also wants to use Fitzpatrick’s legislation, which would extend “Obamacare” subsidies for two years, as the base for a compromise amendment.
Johnson said he is still trying to work out a compromise with Fitzpatrick.
“I thought there was an agreement on the Fitzpatrick amendment and then they made different decisions,” Johnson told reporters.
“There’s a real possibility they get a vote on it,” Johnson said.
Fitzpatrick, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., and other moderate Republicans met with Johnson and his staff on the House floor Tuesday but left without an agreement.
As the House Rules Committee prepares a narrow healthcare package backed by House Republican leadership for floor consideration, centrist lawmakers have submitted more than five amendments seeking to extend subsidies or add new tax deductions for health insurance premiums.
Other House Republicans are considering a three-year clean extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies proposed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is trying to push through a discharge petition.
Fitzpatrick is also meeting with the Problem Solvers Caucus and rank-and-file senators to discuss a healthcare deal.
