WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nov 11, 2025 – House Speaker Mike Johnson intensified Republican criticism of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Tuesday, dubbing it the “Unaffordable Care Act” during a heated CNN interview, as Congress races to avert a prolonged government shutdown by passing a funding measure that excludes key Democratic demands for extended Obamacare subsidies.
The Senate cleared a procedural hurdle late Monday, passing a stopgap funding bill in a bipartisan 60-40 vote that would keep federal operations running through January 30, 2026, without addressing the expiration of enhanced ACA tax credits set to lapse at year’s end.
The shutdown, which began last week over disagreements on federal spending priorities, has furloughed thousands of government workers and disrupted services, with a countdown clock ticking down to critical deadlines. At the heart of the impasse: Democrats’ push to extend enhanced premium subsidies under the ACA, which have helped lower costs for millions of Americans but are due to expire, versus Republicans’ insistence on reforms to tackle what they call skyrocketing health care expenses.
In a fiery exchange on CNN’s “The Lead” with Jake Tapper, Johnson defended the GOP’s stance, arguing that Democratic proposals merely prop up a flawed system without addressing underlying cost drivers. “This is a very important point,” Johnson said. “We were always open to sitting down to negotiate and talk through how to reduce health care costs—it’s a crisis for the American people. The costs have skyrocketed. It’s Democrats who put us into this scenario. Remember, they’re the ones that created the ACA.”
Johnson, a longtime ACA critic, pivoted sharply to lambast the law’s impact on premiums. “We call it the Unaffordable Care Act. That’s exactly what has been yielded. Since 2010, since they’ve put it into law, premiums have skyrocketed—some estimates 60% overall. They are continuing to go up,” he stated. “The Democrat solution is to subsidize the broken system. We would like to go in and look at the root causes of why those costs are so high.”
The Speaker highlighted Republican legislative efforts as a counterpoint, pointing to the recently passed Working Families Tax Cut as evidence of GOP commitment to lowering costs through targeted reforms rather than blanket subsidies. “We’ve been doing that. It’s not just talking points. We had laws signed into law this Congress to begin to chip away. There’s a lot yet to do, but we build consensus between parties. It should be bipartisan looking forward,” Johnson added.
Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have decried the bill as a “surrender” to Republican hardliners, urging members to vote no unless ACA protections are included. The enhanced subsidies, first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, have reduced out-of-pocket premiums for low- and middle-income households by an average of $800 annually, according to nonpartisan estimates. Without extension, experts warn premiums could surge by 75% or more for 16 million enrollees next year.
Johnson has repeatedly declined to commit to a standalone House vote on the subsidies, walking back earlier assurances and drawing accusations of gamesmanship from across the aisle. “Speaker Johnson won’t guarantee a vote in the House on ACA subsidies,” one report noted, underscoring the fragile negotiations.
The funding bill’s passage in the Senate relied on seven Democrats and one independent breaking ranks to join Republicans, a move that averted an immediate escalation but left the ACA fight unresolved. As the House reconvenes, Johnson faces an unruly caucus, with conservatives demanding deeper spending cuts and moderates wary of the political fallout from a prolonged shutdown just months before the 2026 midterms.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the Senate action a “step forward” but emphasized that “families can’t afford to wait” on health care relief, signaling potential veto threats if the House version omits subsidy extensions.
With the Dow Jones closing up slightly at 38,153 amid market jitters over the fiscal drama, all eyes are on Capitol Hill. A House vote could come as soon as tomorrow, but whispers of further amendments suggest the shutdown saga may drag on.
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