The West Wing has postponed President Donald Trump’s plan to extend Obamacare subsidies after Speaker Mike Johnson privately warned House Republicans would revolt, according to reports.
Johnson, 53, told Trump’s aides in a call that the votes weren’t there for a two-year patch to the enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which more than 20 million rely on and is expiring Dec. 31, reported the Wall Street Journal.
His red light came just as the president, 79, was weighing a draft with income caps and fraud-control planks, according to the Journal. The paper reported that only a sliver of House Republicans would entertain any extension, with abortion-coverage rules in some marketplace plans a red line for many.
As backlash built, the White House quietly put the brakes on, postponing the rollout amid Republican pushback in Congress, Axios reported, even after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted on television that an unveiling could come Monday.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters a plan was still being worked on and that no formal rollout had been set.
The issues under discussion, reported Axios, include phasing in income limits on premium tax credits, eliminating $0-premium plans that Republicans say invite fraud, and offering taxpayer-funded health savings accounts for people who downgrade to cheaper coverage.
A back-of-the-envelope estimate from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget put the cost at $50 billion over two years, Axios reported, with possible offsets if specific cost-sharing changes were permanently locked in.
It was an awkward comedown after TV chatter primed viewers for a White House healthcare splash that never arrived. CNN had to walk back an on-air tease for a “TACO”-branded announcement when the West Wing pulled back mid-program.
Lawmakers pledged mid-December healthcare votes as part of the agreement that ended the shutdown earlier this month, and the richer subsidies vanish at year’s end without congressional action—risking higher monthly bills and coverage losses.
Johnson has publicly insisted any extension would require “massive reforms,” a stance that shows why the White House can’t count on the House.
Some Democrats have signaled they will negotiate. Sen. Maggie Hassan, 67, said press-reported contours are at least a starting point for talks, Axios noted.
But layering stricter abortion limits onto subsidies would likely cost Democratic votes, leaving Republicans without a clear path in the Senate and still short in Johnson’s chamber.
For now, Republicans are working on an escape route that includes tacking on a narrower fix to a must-pass funding bill or pursuing reconciliation later.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and Speaker Mike Johnson’s office for comment.
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