Shaheen Statement on Vote for Senate Democrats Bill to Protect Health Care Costs from Skyrocketing

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), author of bicameral legislation to permanently extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, released the following statement on her vote today in favor of a Democratic proposal to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits:

“Today, my Republican colleagues voted against preventing health care costs from spiking for tens of millions of Americans. I’m deeply disappointed with this outcome, but the conversation over the past few months has moved the issue to the forefront of Congress. There’s no mystery now about who is fighting to ensure health care is affordable for the American people.

“This vote is not the end of this fight. With the ACA tax credits expiring in a matter of days, we cannot stop working to find a solution that will help millions of Americans afford their health insurance premiums each month. I have had and will continue to have bipartisan conversations in the hopes of finding a path forward, and I’m encouraged to see an increasing number of my Republican colleagues showing a willingness to extend the tax credits.

“The day the Affordable Care Act became law was a watershed moment in our country, and I have worked ever since to improve and expand upon this historic legislation. I first introduced legislation on the tax credits in 2019, I fought to make that law in the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and again in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. It was the first bill I introduced this year. There is no one in the Senate who wants to see this get done more than I do.

“I’m going to pursue every possibility to reduce the health care costs for millions of Americans, and I urge my colleagues across the aisle to join me. The American people overwhelmingly want Congress to extend these tax credits and have made the consequences of inaction abundantly clear: if Republicans fail to join us, they will be held accountable at the ballot box next year.”

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