A moderate House Democrat is splitting from his party leader on a compromise to extend enhanced ObamaCare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.
The subsidies have been a key demand for Democrats in exchange for their support for legislation to end the government shutdown.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., is among the House Democrats backing a bipartisan bill aimed at extending those tax credits for one year.
But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called a one-year extension a ‘laughable proposition’ in comments to reporters on Tuesday.
Suozzi, who also backs a permanent extension, said both sides need to begin negotiating at some point, even without a perfect solution.
‘A one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits is not acceptable. It’s a nonstarter,’ Jeffries said, referring to ObamaCare.
‘What world are these MAGA extremists living in right now to think that Democrats are going to go along with a one-year extension from a group of people, meaning the Republicans, who just permanently extended massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors?’
But it’s not just Republicans pushing that bill — the legislation has 11 total Democrat co-sponsors out of 25 total supporters.
Suozzi told Fox News Digital in response to Jeffries’ rejection: ‘Republicans and Democrats both need to step up to the negotiating table.’
‘This bill isn’t perfect — I’d prefer a permanent extension, and I’d gladly settle for a multi-year one — but right now, our priority must be stopping the massive health insurance premium hikes set to hit mailboxes in less than a month,’ Suozzi said.
‘We can’t afford to remain in a stalemate, each side waiting for the other to blink.’
A spokesman for Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, another co-sponsor of the bill, pointed Fox News Digital to comments the Democrat made on his Substack days before the shutdown.
‘Our bipartisan bill would extend the credits by one year. Our coalition already includes 12 House Republicans — an essential bloc of support for passing a bill in the GOP-controlled House. And Senate Republicans are already interested in a deal, too,’ Golden wrote in those comments.
‘As we negotiate, I see two sides who genuinely want to get to ‘yes,’ which gives me hope that we can avert price spikes and coverage losses in January. A government shutdown only jeopardizes that work.’
Golden was the lone House Democrat to vote for the GOP-led bill to avert a government shutdown last month.
The bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), would keep federal funding levels roughly flat through Nov. 21, while including added spending for national officials’ security amid the heightened political threat environment.
But Democrats, furious at being sidelined in federal funding talks, have largely said they’ll reject any deal that does not include an extension of the expiring ObamaCare subsidies.
Suozzi and several other Democrats supporting the one-year extension are also co-sponsors on legislation that would permanently extend the enhanced ObamaCare subsidies.
The office of Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., pointed out to Fox News Digital that he was also a co-sponsor of that bill but refused to comment on the one-year bill or Jeffries’ dismissal of it.
But that bill is likely a nonstarter for GOP leaders in Congress, who say that some reform is needed to the system if those healthcare credits are to be extended.
Fox News Digital reached out to the remaining eight co-sponsors of the one-year extension bill but did not receive a response to Jeffries’ comments by press time.