Republicans Rush to Pass Health Care Package as ACA Subsidies Expire; House Grapples with Stock Trading Ban and Epstein Files Release

With the Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the month, Republicans are racing to secure a health‑care solution before the two‑week recess that begins Dec. 22.

Health Care Deadline Looms

The ACA subsidies are scheduled to end on the last day of the month, leaving the House a narrow window to act before the congressional recess. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is pushing a GOP health‑care package to the floor that explicitly excludes an extension of the subsidies. The package faces steep odds in the Senate, where Republican lawmakers would need Democratic support to advance.

Republican Package and Discharge Petitions

Rank‑and‑file members have filed competing discharge petitions to force votes on bipartisan bills that would temporarily extend the subsidies. A petition requires 218 signatures, so it can only succeed with significant Democratic backing. One bill, introduced by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine), would renew tax credits for two years and enact a series of reforms, including new income limits, the removal of no‑premium plans, and expanded access to health‑savings accounts. Another bill, by Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), would extend subsidies for one year with more modest eligibility changes.

Jeffries’ Stance

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has not yet endorsed either petition, but said last week that he was “actively reviewing” both and that he’ll have more to say early this week. He added, “We’re going to evaluate every single good faith proposal, but it has to meaningfully provide certainty to the American people who are at risk of having their health care ripped away from them.” Jeffries later told MS NOW that the GOP package would likely be a disaster and would not improve health care, saying, “Their health care package, as I understand it, is likely to be a disaster and actually not enhance the health care of the American people. It will take away from it. So it’s not clear to me that, even if it’s amended … that it will actually solve the problem of addressing the Republican health crisis.”

Stock Trading Ban Initiative

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) is pushing a discharge petition to force a vote on a congressional stock‑trading ban introduced by Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.). As of Friday afternoon, 15 Republicans and 46 Democrats had signed the petition, but the 218‑signature threshold remains uncertain. Jeffries criticized the effort, arguing that a ban should also extend to the executive branch. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) echoed that view, calling the president “the most corrupt president since Richard Nixon. In fact, more corrupt than Richard Nixon. And the idea that we’re not going to have any checks and balances on this White House in particular, I think is, you know, it’s troublesome to me.”

Roy has said the conversations with leadership are “moving forward pretty well” and that the House should “look in the mirror, solve our own problem, and then try to look at whatever needs to be improved across government.” He added, “Do I think we need to have better accountability on all of this across all of government? Sure. Do I think … executive, legislative, judicial should be treated the same or similarly? Yes. But should Congress focus on ourselves first and get our own house in order? Yes.”

Epstein Files Release Deadline

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) secured a win last month when President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the DOJ to release the files within 30 days of enactment. The deadline is Dec. 19, the Friday before the holiday break. Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released 19 pictures from Epstein’s estate, some featuring Trump, urging a release. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said she would only believe the files when she sees them, adding, “I’ll only believe it when I see it, and that’s how I feel about government in every capacity. And I think that’s where Americans are too.”

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said he’d be disappointed if the DOJ did not release the files by Friday, noting, “I think they’re moving in the right direction. But, yeah, I’d be disappointed. Like I said, this whole town’s crooked and broke, and both parties are involved in it.”

Key Takeaways

• The ACA subsidies expire at month’s end, giving Republicans a tight window before the Dec. 22 recess.
• GOP leaders are pushing a package that excludes subsidy extensions, while bipartisan bills seek temporary extensions through discharge petitions.
• The stock‑trading ban and Epstein files release are also on the House agenda, with deadlines and partisan divisions.

The week will be critical for the House as it weighs health‑care proposals, a congressional stock‑trading ban, and the long‑awaited release of Epstein files, all while a recess looms and the ACA subsidies are set to end.