WASHINGTON DC, (WOLF) — Several Pennsylvania Republicans split with former President Donald Trump and GOP leadership this week by joining Democrats to force a vote aimed at preserving Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, according to the Associated Press. The procedural maneuver followed months of gridlock as lawmakers debated how to prevent major increases in health-care costs set to hit consumers in January.
Rep. Rob Bresnahan of Northeastern Pennsylvania was among those who broke ranks, saying the move became necessary after bipartisan negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
“Despite our months-long call for action, leadership on both sides of the aisle failed to work together to advance any bipartisan compromise, leaving this as the only way to protect the 28,000 people in my district from higher costs,” Bresnahan said. “Families in NEPA cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them. Doing nothing was not an option I urge my colleagues to set politics aside, put people first, and come together around a bipartisan deal.”
Four Republicans — Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick, Bresnahan, and Ryan Mackenzie, along with New York Rep. Mike Lawler — added their names, giving supporters the final votes needed to advance the measure.
But Democrat Paige Cognetti, who is running to unseat Bresnahan, sharply criticized the congressman’s overall record on health care, arguing that his last-minute shift cannot undo the impact of previous votes.
“Rob Bresnahan unleashed a health care crisis on Northeastern Pennsylvania by voting for the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, stripping funding from our rural hospitals, and failing to take meaningful action in time to prevent health care costs from skyrocketing for Northeastern Pennsylvanians next month,” Cognetti said. She accused Bresnahan of “raising costs and reducing access to care” during his short tenure in Congress.
The breakaway vote underscores growing divisions within the GOP as lawmakers balance internal political pressures with the needs of constituents who rely on ACA subsidies to maintain affordable coverage. The House is expected to formally take up the subsidy measure in the coming days.