Originally published by the Washington Examiner
Led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Democrats are poised to shut down the federal government in the coming days, refusing to pass a seven-week stopgap funding bill to the Senate unless Republicans agree to a $1.4 trillion wish list.
Yes, Democrats are demanding that the GOP pass one of the most expensive spending bills in United States history, in exchange for funding the government for a singular month. A “deal” like this should be dead on arrival, but some Republicans have entertained negotiations with Democrats, signaling a willingness to make Joe Biden’s COVID-era Obamacare tax credits permanent — a $448 billion concession.
Layered on top of already generous subsidies that are not going away, these Biden-era handouts force taxpayers to foot the bill for fully subsidized health care for more than nine million Obamacare recipients. Not a single Republican has ever voted for these subsidies or to extend them. None should do so now. Democrats themselves couldn’t even secure support within their own ranks to make these subsidies permanent. In fact, former Senator Joe Manchin opposed their inclusion in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, citing fiscal concerns.
The question now is whether Republicans will draw a clear line in the sand or settle for a position no stronger than Joe Manchin’s.
Continue reading: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/3827047/dont-bail-joe-biden-obamacare-broken-subsidies/