Chuck Schumer Uses Republican Infighting As Excuse To Demand GOP Support Democratic Healthcare Bill

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer leaned hard on GOP divisions Wednesday as he pushed Republicans to back Democrats’ plan to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies for three years.

Even as enhanced ACA subsidies near expiration, Republicans remain deeply divided — some favor replacing subsidies with health-savings accounts, while others push for short-term extensions or oppose any extension altogether, leaving the party unable to coalesce around a single health-care proposal. During an appearance on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Schumer said Republican lawmakers are “too busy fighting with each other” to produce a single viable healthcare proposal, pointing to what he described as a fractured caucus juggling hundreds of proposals.

“[Democratic Sen.] Peter Welch [of Vermont] said, ‘If the Republicans can deliver votes,’ they can’t. Nope. They are busy fighting with each other with 100 different proposals. And none of their proposals extend the ACA credits by a day, let alone a month, a year, et cetera,” Schumer told Jake Tapper. “The only real way for the Republicans to avoid the calamity, the health care calamity that will occur on January 1st, is for 13 of them to vote for the bill we have on the floor.”

Schumer blamed top GOP leadership for opposing any ACA extension.

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“It’s clean. It’s a three-year extension, and it would prevent these dramatic increases of $500 to $100,000 a month going to health care. The Republicans are adamant. John Thune got on the floor and said, ‘We will not extend the ACA,’” Schumer added.  (RELATED: Obamacare Deadlock Drags On, But One Healthcare Fix Could Slash Medical Costs Nationwide)

Democrats introduced a three-year extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies on Thursday, even though Republicans say the measure has virtually no chance of reaching the 60 votes needed to pass. Under the shutdown-ending agreement, Senate Majority Leader John Thune granted Democrats a Dec. 11 floor vote on the proposal, but GOP senators told the DCNF they remain united opposing the plan.

Senate Republican leaders said Tuesday they will advance their own health-care plan alongside Democrats’ proposal to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies, setting up dueling votes on competing visions for lowering costs. After weeks of internal deliberations, GOP senators rallied behind a health-savings-account model that they argue delivers aid directly to patients and lowers federal spending.

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