Durbin Urges GOP to Extend ACA Premium Tax Credits

January 12, 2026

The House passes a bill to extend ACA premium tax credits amidst GOP objections

After the expiration of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin urged Senate Republicans to join Senate Democrats to extend the credits. The ACA enhanced premium tax credits have been a crucial support to millions of Americans, aiding them in affording health insurance. However, GOP lawmakers allowed these to expire.

Durbin made it known that, “Despite the opposition and wishes of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, 17 House Republicans joined every Democrat in the House to vote for the extension of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits.”

The enhanced premium tax credits have enabled millions of Americans, with 500,000 of them from Illinois, to afford health insurance. The expiration of these credits is expected to lead to more than four million Americans losing their health coverage this year, with millions more seeing an increase of two or three times in their premiums.

On the impact of this, Durbin expressed, “Last year, 22 million Americans depended on these tax credits for their health insurance. But these credits expired on January 1st because the Republican-controlled Congress refused to extend them. The expiration of the credits is forcing millions of Americans to either relinquish their health insurance or pay double or triple for their healthcare plans. Families are already dealing with daily expenses – groceries, electricity bills, mortgage payments. We shouldn’t add health insurance to that list.”

He finished his remarks by urging his Senate colleagues to work together to find a solution that would extend these enhanced premium tax credits and aid millions of Americans in affording their healthcare.

Durbin stated, “The House has done its part. The only roadblock to putting a bill on the President’s desk is this body, the United States Senate. Last month, Senate Democrats voted to extend the tax credits. Four Republicans joined us, but we were 13 votes short of what we needed. Now we have another chance. There is no excuse for further delay. We can act this week to avert this health care disaster. I’ve spoken to colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have said they want to make healthcare more affordable… Extending the premium tax credits is the only immediate solution.”

He concluded, “Let’s unite on a bipartisan basis and surprise everyone. We can help assure Americans with the peace of mind they need to cover them in case of a serious diagnosis, an accident, or a challenging hospitalization.”

To fight the escalating cost of healthcare, congressional Democrats enacted ACA enhanced premium tax credits through the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and extended them in the Inflation Reduction Act until the end of 2025. This resulted in an increase in Americans covered on the ACA’s marketplace from 11 million in 2020 to 24 million in 2025. Despite the reliance of millions of Americans on these enhanced premium tax credits, a majority of congressional Republicans have declined to act to extend them, hence putting the healthcare coverage of Americans that cannot afford their premiums at risk. This comes in addition to the nearly $1 trillion cuts congressional Republicans made to Medicaid under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – a move directed by President Trump to fund tax breaks for billionaires.

You can watch a video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor here.

You can listen to an audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor here.

Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.