Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said it is unrealistic to expect a bipartisan health-care deal in time for a Senate vote next month, calling such expectations "madness." Senate Republicans had pledged a vote to extend enhanced ACA subsidies due to expire in December, but some GOP figures now propose broader changes. Balint warned a partial government shutdown in January remains possible and criticized the administration for not presenting a clear plan. Democrats plan to make rising health-care costs a central campaign issue if subsidies are not extended.
Rep. Becca Balint: Expecting a Bipartisan Health Deal by December Is "Madness" — ACA Subsidies at Risk
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said it is unrealistic to expect a bipartisan health-care deal in time for a Senate vote next month, calling such expectations "madness." Senate Republicans had pledged a vote to extend enhanced ACA subsidies due to expire in December, but some GOP figures now propose broader changes. Balint warned a partial government shutdown in January remains possible and criticized the administration for not presenting a clear plan. Democrats plan to make rising health-care costs a central campaign issue if subsidies are not extended.
03:00 AM, 11/19/2025Politics
Rep. Becca Balint: Expecting a Bipartisan Health Deal by December Is "Madness"
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) told reporters Tuesday that lawmakers are unlikely to finalize a bipartisan health-care package in time for a Senate vote next month, calling expectations of such a deal "madness."
Senate GOP leaders had promised Democrats a vote to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies — provisions set to expire in December — as part of last week's agreement to reopen the government. Since that deal, some Republican figures have floated broader changes instead, including expanded flexible spending accounts for ACA enrollees.
"They have never put forward a viable plan. Anything that we could tick the tires on. And to think that we are going to come together on a plan before the end of December is madness — and we all know it." — Rep. Becca Balint
Balint did not rule out a partial government shutdown when some funding lapses again in January. "I certainly don’t want another shutdown … but I also know that my constituents understand that this is existential for them," she said.
Balint also criticized the administration’s lack of open communication with congressional Democrats: "Show us the plan. Have a conversation. Have leadership actually sit down. Have the four corners sit down. That’s not happening. This administration is a black box. They are not communicating with us, members of Congress, who are the ones that create policy. So until that starts to happen — no, we need to extend these ACA subsidies."
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he did not want Congress to "waste" time on policies that do not "send the money directly back to the people."
Democrats are already preparing to press Republicans on rising health-care costs during the campaign season, making extension of the subsidies and the affordability of coverage central campaign themes. "It’s not separate from the affordability crisis that we’re having right now, it’s at the center," Balint warned.
Key dates: Enhanced ACA subsidies are set to expire in December; some government funding could lapse in January, raising the possibility of a partial shutdown.