President Trump confirmed Tuesday that he would “rather not” keep enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year after rumors swired that the White House was about to pitch a two-year extension.
Instead, Trump called for sending money meant for the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits directly to Americans so they can pick their own health plan.
“Somebody said I want to extend them for two years. I don’t want to extend them for two years. I’d rather not extend them at all,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his Mar-a-Lago resort.
“Some kind of extension may be necessary to get something else done, because the un-Affordable Care Act has been a disaster.”
On Sunday, MS NOW, formerly known as MSNBC, reported that the White House was set to unveil a framework to extend the enhanced tax credits through the end of 2027 — with stricter limits on who would be eligible.
President Trump clarified that he doesn’t back a two-year extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Getty Images
Democrats seized on the expiring Obamacare subsidies to put Republicans on the spot. Getty Images
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later denied that Trump was contemplating a subsidy extension, reports of which had caught many Republicans in Congress off guard.
“I like my plan the best,” Trump added. “Don’t give any money to the insurance companies, give it to the people directly. Let them buy their own health care plan. And we’re looking at that, if that can work. We’re looking at that.”
Several Republicans, including Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), have unveiled dueling plans to convert the funding used for enhanced subsidies to direct payments.
Obamacare helps over 22 million Americans afford healthcare. Getty Images
The Obamacare subsidies were at the heart of Democrats’ efforts to leverage the 43-day government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12 with Senate Republicans only agreeing to a vote next month on extending the credits.
The enhanced Obamacare subsidies were put into effect under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act passed by Democrats without Republican support and signed into law by then-President Joe Biden.
They cost roughly $30 billion annually, a price tag that would swell to about $350 billion if extended over a decade, the Congressional Budget Office has projected.
Total spending on Obamacare, including the enhanced subsidies, was roughly $138 billion in fiscal year 2025, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.