Outspoken Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ga., dug in on recent criticisms she leveled against her party for not finding a fix for expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that will result in millions of rate hikes for Americans. In a pair of interviews on Tuesday, the Georgia lawmaker argued that the GOP does not have a plan on health care and pushed her party to find a solution to the coming “Obamacare” rate hikes as it works to end a government shutdown.
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Greene’s fight started on X
Greene started her attacks on her party’s approach to “Obamacare” subsidies on Monday in a post on X.
“I’m going against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,” she wrote.
“I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will double if the tax credits expire this year,” Greene said, adding, “Not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!!”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., read those comments aloud on the Senate floor on Tuesday.
“I think this is the first time I said this, but, on this issue, Rep. Greene said it perfectly,” Schumer said. “Rep. Greene is absolutely right.”
Greene doubles down on criticism
She doubled down on those remarks in her Tuesday interviews.
“When it comes to the point where families are spending anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 a month and looking at hikes coming on their insurance premiums, I think that’s unforgivable,” Greene told NBC.
In a conversation with NewsNation, Greene underscored that looming rate hikes are a real concern for voters and that there’s no solution currently on the table.
“The issues of the subsidies are real. It’s not something that anybody can say is made up,” Greene said. “Also, people with regular or private plans, their premiums are looking to go up a median of 18%, that’s brutal.”
Greene noted she is not a supporter of the ACA but said it’s time for the GOP to “get real and actually come up with a solution.”
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
Expert research indicates that the expiration of ACA tax credits will cause premiums to rise by 114% for subsidized enrollees by 2026.
Speaker Johnson says Greene is misinformed
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., responded to Greene’s criticism, saying she is ill-informed on the issue.
“Congresswoman Greene does not serve on the committees of jurisdiction to deal with those specialized issues, and she’s probably not read [in on some of that] because it’s still been sort of in their silos of the people who specialize in those issues,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol.
Greene pushed back.
“The reality is they never talk about it. And that committee working on, say, health insurance and the industry, that doesn’t happen in a [secure facility],” she said in her interview with NBC, saying, “It’s not a major secret,” while adding that Johnson hasn’t talked to her about her concerns.
The ongoing debate
The subsidies at the center of the debate were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and extended until the end of this year through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Open enrollment begins in most states on Nov. 1, and health insurance companies may raise premiums based on the fate of the subsidies.
