Floor SpeechUrgent2026-01-07

FACING TAX CREDIT EXPIRATION AND HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

HealthcareEconomyTaxes

Context

On 2026-01-07, Representative Timothy M. Kennedy (D-NY-26) delivered a floor speech titled "FACING TAX CREDIT EXPIRATION AND HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered the economy, taxes.

Full Text

FACING TAX CREDIT EXPIRATION AND HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)] [House] [Pages H103-H104] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] FACING TAX CREDIT EXPIRATION AND HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS (Mr. Kennedy of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, with just 24 days left before open enrollment closes in New York State and with millions of New Yorkers facing massive premium hikes, I rise today in outrage. As an occupational therapist, I spent more than a decade working on the front lines of our healthcare system, helping patients and their families when an unexpected illness, injury, or disability turned their world upside down. I have seen the devastation that happens when people delay care because they can't afford it. Patients ration medications, skip follow- up visits, delay essential care, and choose between putting food on the table or seeing a doctor. When healthcare is out of reach, outcomes get worse, costs go up, and working families pay the price. That is exactly what is happening right now because Republicans have allowed the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to expire. When the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2014, it made health insurance more affordable and expanded access to care, putting healthcare within reach for millions of Americans. In 2021, Democrats built on that progress by expanding those credits through the American Rescue Plan, closing coverage gaps that left middle-class families paying far too much for far too long. In 2022, Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act to extend these essential enhancements through 2025. As Democrats, our priorities are clear. When we lead, we fight for working people. We fight to expand access to care. We fight to make sure every American can afford the care that they need. It is a very different story under failed Republican leadership. After years of trying to undermine the Affordable Care Act, congressional Republicans chose on December 31 to let these lifesaving premium tax credits expire, even over the objections from Members of their own party. For families already struggling to make ends meet, the consequences are immediate and devastating. Marketplace premiums have skyrocketed by an average of 114 percent, and these plans cost more and cover less. Enrollment will plummet, and millions of Americans will lose or forego coverage entirely. In New York, thousands will lose their health insurance purchased through the marketplace, with hundreds of thousands more facing staggeringly high costs. Young people in communities of color will be hardest hit, reversing years of progress and 4 consecutive years of Affordable Care Act enrollment, a record high. As this is happening at a moment when the cost-of-living crisis is already crushing working families, the people of this country are saying enough is enough. This crisis did not happen by accident. Donald Trump and congressional Republicans chose tax breaks for the wealthy over affordable healthcare for everyday Americans. They pushed through the largest healthcare cuts in U.S. history, gutting Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1 trillion. Now, instead of fixing the damage, Republican leadership is once again choosing to turn its back on families by letting these premium tax credits expire, a lifeline millions of Americans rely on to stay insured. When people lose coverage, they don't stop getting sick. They just stop getting care. We all pay the price through worse outcomes, higher costs, and deeper inequities. Over the past year, many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle reminded us that elections have consequences. I am here to remind them that this fight transcends politics. Ripping away healthcare from hardworking Americans has life-or-death consequences. That is why Democrats have forced a vote to extend these credits this week, and that is why I intend to vote ``yes.'' Healthcare should not depend on your ZIP Code, your job title, or the size of your paycheck. This fight is [[Page H104]] about priorities. It is about choosing care, dignity, and security for families, instead of policies that push healthcare out of reach. Mr. Speaker, let's get this done. Let's take care of the American people. ____________________

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FACING TAX CREDIT EXPIRATION AND HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)] [House] [Pages H103-H104] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] FACING TAX CREDIT EXPIRATION AND HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS (Mr. Kennedy of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, with just 24 days left before open enrollment closes in New York State and with millions of New Yorkers facing massive premium hikes, I rise today in outrage. As an occupational therapist, I spent more than a decade working on the front lines of our healthcare system, helping patients and their families when an unexpected illness, injury, or disability turned their world upside down. I have seen the devastation that happens when people delay care because they can't afford it. Patients ration medications, skip follow- up visits, delay essential care, and choose between putting food on the table or seeing a doctor. When healthcare is out of reach, outcomes get worse, costs go up, and working families pay the price. That is exactly what is happening right now because Republicans have allowed the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to expire. When the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2014, it made health insurance more affordable and expanded access to care, putting healthcare within reach for millions of Americans. In 2021, Democrats built on that progress by expanding those credits through the American Rescue Plan, closing coverage gaps that left middle-class families paying far too much for far too long. In 2022, Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act to extend these essential enhancements through 2025. As Democrats, our priorities are clear. When we lead, we fight for working people. We fight to expand access to care. We fight to make sure every American can afford the care that they need. It is a very different story under failed Republican leadership. After years of trying to undermine the Affordable Care Act, congressional Republicans chose on December 31 to let these lifesaving premium tax credits expire, even over the objections from Members of their own party. For families already struggling to make ends meet, the consequences are immediate and devastating. Marketplace premiums have skyrocketed by an average of 114 percent, and these plans cost more and cover less. Enrollment will plummet, and millions of Americans will lose or forego coverage entirely. In New York, thousands will lose their health insurance purchased through the marketplace, with hundreds of thousands more facing staggeringly high costs. Young people in communities of color will be hardest hit, reversing years of progress and 4 consecutive years of Affordable Care Act enrollment, a record high. As this is happening at a moment when the cost-of-living crisis is already crushing working families, the people of this country are saying enough is enough. This crisis did not happen by accident. Donald Trump and congressional Republicans chose tax breaks for the wealthy over affordable healthcare for everyday Americans. They pushed through the largest healthcare cuts in U.S. history, gutting Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1 trillion. Now, instead of fixing the damage, Republican leadership is once again choosing to turn its back on families by letting these premium tax credits expire, a lifeline millions of Americans rely on to stay insured. When people lose coverage, they don't stop getting sick. They just stop getting care. We all pay the price through worse outcomes, higher costs, and deeper inequities. Over the past year, many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle reminded us that elections have consequences. I am here to remind them that this fight transcends politics. Ripping away healthcare from hardworking Americans has life-or-death consequences. That is why Democrats have forced a vote to extend these credits this week, and that is why I intend to vote ``yes.'' Healthcare should not depend on your ZIP Code, your job title, or the size of your paycheck. This fight is [[Page H104]] about priorities. It is about choosing care, dignity, and security for families, instead of policies that push healthcare out of reach. Mr. Speaker, let's get this done. Let's take care of the American people. ____________________