GOP Centrists Threaten Revolt as Covid-Era Obamacare Subsidies Near Expiration — Johnson Faces Pressure

House Speaker Mike Johnson is confronting a potential revolt from a bloc of Republican centrists as enhanced Covid-era Obamacare subsidies are set to expire — a change that could sharply increase premiums for tens of millions of Americans in 2026.

With Congress in its final work week of 2025, House GOP leaders appear willing to let the temporary subsidy boosts lapse, arguing the federal spending is propping up a troubled marketplace. But a group of moderate Republicans, led by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Jen Kiggans (Va.), say that letting the subsidies end would inflict real harm on constituents and could politically backfire on the party.

Centrists Move To Force A Vote

Roughly a dozen GOP centrists have coalesced around a bipartisan amendment to extend the subsidies while adding stricter income caps and anti-fraud measures. They plan a public push — pressing the House Rules Committee on Tuesday — to secure a floor vote. Some members say they are prepared to use a discharge petition or even partner with Democrats if leadership continues to block their plan.

“It’s our own leadership’s fault. We have given them so many off ramps,” one participant in the talks told CNN.

Why Talks Collapsed

Negotiations between the centrists and GOP leadership unraveled in the past 48 hours after failing to agree on several key points: whether the amendment should include a pay-for to cover costs, whether it should carry stricter anti-abortion language, and whether centrists would abandon a parallel discharge-petition effort. Party leaders planned to attach a rule this week that would effectively block the discharge petition, but enough moderates threatened to oppose that rule, prompting Johnson to step back from earlier commitments.

Instead of the centrists’ compromise, House leaders are preparing a narrower health-care package described internally as a “greatest hits” of conservative priorities. That bill would not include an immediate fix to prevent the premium spike expected in 2026.

Democrats Hold Firm; Senate Talks Continue

Top Democrats are pressing for a three-year extension of the enhanced subsidies — a measure the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates would cost about $83 billion and enroll roughly 6 million more people in the Obamacare marketplace. Under that approach, as few as four House Republicans joining Democrats could deliver passage.

A small bipartisan group of senators met privately Monday evening to discuss options, leaving senators reluctant to disclose details but expressing cautious optimism. “There’s enough people on both sides that want to come up with a solution,” Sen. Mike Rounds said, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski described the talks as “substantive” and “productive.”

What’s Next

• Moderates will press the Rules Committee this week and may pursue a discharge petition if blocked.
• House leadership will try to advance its conservative package without an immediate subsidy extension.
• Republicans face a strategic choice: craft a paid-for extension with reforms, allow Democratic-led legislation to pass with a few GOP defections, or accept the subsidies’ expiration and the resulting premium increases.

The standoff sets up a high-stakes test of Republican unity and legislative pragmatism in the last days of the year, with consequences for millions of Americans and next year’s political landscape.

Reporting note: Quotes and details in this article are drawn from multiple congressional sources and public statements made by lawmakers involved in the negotiations.