House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries just turned a routine CNBC interview into a fiery showdown over healthcare policy, the Daily Caller reported.
This clash on "Squawk Box" with host Rebecca Quick saw Jeffries pushing hard for a three-year extension of Biden-era Affordable Care Act subsidies, only to hit a wall of Republican resistance and sharp questions about political gamesmanship.
The drama unfolded on Friday when Jeffries sat down with Quick, advocating for extending ACA tax credits for three years instead of the shorter two-year plan some have floated.
Things got heated fast when Quick suggested Jeffries might be playing a long game—letting the tax credits lapse to spike insurance rates and pin the blame on Republicans.
Jeffries didn’t take kindly to that, firing back with visible frustration at the implication of partisan trickery. It’s no secret Democrats, including Jeffries, are still stinging from the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which started October 1 over a funding bill lacking these very ACA credits.
That 43-day shutdown ended without the extensions, leaving many in Jeffries’ party fuming and pointing fingers at Republican intransigence.
Republicans, for their part, aren’t budging on the three-year extension Jeffries demands, creating a stalemate that’s as predictable as it is frustrating.
House Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t committed to even holding a vote on the credits, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to a vote only to get Democrats on board to reopen the government. It’s a classic D.C. two-step—promise much, deliver little.
Jeffries insists Republicans have had a full year to hammer out a deal on these extensions and have simply refused to play ball, a charge that carries weight when you consider the human cost of rising healthcare premiums.
Quick pressed Jeffries hard, arguing a bipartisan deal—maybe a one- or two-year extension—could break the logjam and buy time for a longer-term fix. Her point isn’t without merit; a temporary patch might cool tempers and keep rates stable for folks already squeezed by inflation.
But then came the zinger from Quick: “It’s important context to make me realize that I don’t think you want to get a deal done. I think this is something where you’d like to see the rates go higher and allow the Republicans to hang themselves with that,” she said on "Squawk Box."
Jeffries shot back instantly, calling the assertion “absolutely ridiculous” and insisting healthcare isn’t a partisan fight for Democrats. “Shame on you for saying that. It’s not a partisan issue for us,” he added, noting that Republican-led states would suffer most if the credits expire.
Jeffries doubled down, framing the battle as a patriotic duty rather than a political spat. “Listen, this is not a partisan fight for us. It’s a patriotic fight,” he declared on "Squawk Box," emphasizing a desire to protect constituents across party lines.
Yet, with no clear path forward, the question remains—will either side bend, or are we headed for another round of gridlock that leaves American families footing the bill? Quick’s suggestion of a one-year compromise might be the pragmatic middle ground, but in a town where compromise is often a dirty word, don’t hold your breath.
