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House Republicans divided over Obamacare as GOP eyes fix after shutdown
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House Republicans are in preliminary discussions on a healthcare package, as Obamacare continues to be the central sticking point in the ongoing government shutdown.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on Thursday that lawmakers have begun discussions in «informal working groups» on what healthcare reform, aimed at lowering ballooning medical costs, would look like.
But the fight over Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), continues to drive a wedge within the House GOP. At the heart of the issue are Obamacare subsidies enhanced significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic — enhancements that are set to expire at the end of this year without congressional action.
Democrats have been demanding that any deal to end the shutdown be paired with an extension of those credits. And Republicans, while united in wanting to keep the shutdown and Obamacare two separate issues, are divided over how to handle that issue once the shutdown ends.
‘THE PANDEMIC’S OVER’: GOP, DEM SENATORS SPAR ON CAMERA OVER COSTLY OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Reps. Lisa McClain and Steve Scalise, left to right, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Oct. 16, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
On one side of the divide are members of the House Freedom Caucus, who have signaled vehement opposition to any straightforward extension of the Obamacare credits.
«What we really need to do is stop talking about the COVID subsidies, because it’s not working, and the entire system that they’re based on is a complete and total Titanic that’s going down,» said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a member of the conservative group. «Why would we throw any more bad money after this sinking ship?»
But some Republican lawmakers are floating a one-year extension as a way to buy Congress more time to find an off-ramp to eventually ending the Obamacare subsidies — something all GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital agreed on.
DEMOCRATS BLAME GOP FOR OBAMACARE WOES TIED TO PANDEMIC-ERA SUBSIDIES
«I am not at all in love with the ACA or Obamacare. I get the concern that many of the members have with it. But as I’ve said before, if you don’t have something good to replace it with, it is political insanity, and it’s just the wrong thing to do — to let it lapse, get rid of it and have nothing else because the rates are going to go up a lot,» said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who styled himself a «populist conservative.»
He called on Republicans to «hold our nose, have a one-year extension, make some minor to moderate modifications.»
«And during that year, instead of waiting till the last week or the last few days during that year, to really hammer out something that’s real, that isn’t B.S., where we are offering people health care, where it’s relatively affordable, and then we can make the big change that people want to make,» Van Drew said.
He’s one of 14 House Republicans backing a bipartisan bill, led by Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., to extend the Obamacare subsidies for one year.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., leaves the Capitol Hill Club after a meeting of the House Republican Conference in Washington, March 25, 2025 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., another backer, pointed out that Democrats created the enhancements and their 2025 expiry.
«I think we need it, because there is a cliff that was created by the Democrats,» he said of the extension. «A lot of American families are going to be hurt by it. So I am in favor of extending it for a year and then looking at ways that we can, number one, fix Obamacare, and two, a way to end the subsidies, but not in a cliff-like fashion.»
Burlison suggested heavy opposition from the House Freedom Caucus, however.
«It’s not only a non-starter, but because of the conversations that we’ve had, we would consider it a betrayal,» he said.
Freedom Caucus member Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., similarly anticipated the «vast majority of Republicans» would be against the bipartisan bill. However, he left the door open to some extension, provided a plan was in place to end Obamacare already.
OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES AT CENTER OF DEM SHUTDOWN FIGHT ‘FUEL’ HEALTHCARE COST INFLATION, CONSERVATIVES SAY
«At the end of the day, the subsidies are going away. It’s just a matter of how quickly. They are going to be phased out. Now, do you want it to be a hard stop, or do you want to phase out? I think the hospitals and the healthcare infrastructure in Nashville would prefer a phase-out, and I totally understand that,» Ogles said. «Quite frankly, fiscal conservatives are not going to stand for more subsidies that were designed for a period of time during COVID. COVID is over.»
Van Drew told Fox News Digital that Republicans’ chances of keeping the House majority in 2026 hinged on a healthcare deal.
«If you lose the majority, you’ve got nothing. You’re a spectator in the sport. You’re not even involved. So to me, keeping the majority is extremely important, and we’ve got to work to compromise on that,» he said.
He and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., another sponsor of the one-year extension, both floated income caps and reforms to the pricing middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., participates in a House Judiciary Committee markup in Washington, May 16, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
A House Republican familiar with leadership dynamics suggested that income caps for Obamacare are part of the discussion on a potential healthcare package.
That House Republican also suggested that tighter «guardrails» like income verification standards for government healthcare could also be on the table.
«If you have a right to a benefit, you have a responsibility to prove you are eligible for that benefit,» they said. «That would save a ton of dollars.»
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., floated several ideas up for discussion but signaled that any moves to extend Obamacare would require significant changes to the system first.
«You’ve seen additional ideas on health savings accounts and pooling together amongst small businesses, other ideas like PBM reform,» he told reporters earlier this week. «So all the things we’ve been working on are focused on lowering costs for families as opposed to just shoveling more money into a failed, broken system.»
house of representatives politics,politics,health care healthy living,government shutdown
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Trump DOJ opens mortgage fraud probe into Eric Swalwell as congressman vows to keep fighting back
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The Department of Justice under President Donald Trump has opened a probe into Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., over alleged mortgage fraud, Fox News has confirmed.
In response, Swalwell said he was not surprised to be targeted by Trump and vowed to keep speaking out while pursuing his lawsuit.
«As the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade and as the only person who still has a surviving lawsuit against him, the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me,» the California lawmaker said.
«Like James Comey and John Bolton, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, Letitia James and the dozens more to come – I refuse to live in fear in what was once the freest country in the world.
SWALWELL THREATENS ‘ACCOUNTABILITY’ TO PRIVATE ACTORS WHO DEAL WITH TRUMP, HOPE IT ‘DETERS PEOPLE’
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., listens during a news conference on the introduction of their Protection from Abusive Passengers Act at the U.S. Capitol Building on April 6, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«Of course, I will not end my lawsuit against him. And I will not stop speaking out against the President and speaking up for Californians,» he continued. «As Mark Twain said, ‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.’ Mr. President, do better. Be better.»
The probe, which was first reported by NBC, will investigate allegations of millions of dollars in loans and refinancing were based on Swalwell declaring that his primary residence was in Washington, D.C., a person familiar with the referral told the news organization.
According to the report, the director of the Federal Housing Agency, Bill Pulte, sent Attorney General Pam Bondi a letter on Wednesday accusing Swalwell of possibly making false or misleading statements on loan documents.
HOW JAMES COMEY’S INDICTMENT COULD GO SOUTH FOR THE DOJ
The source also reportedly told NBC the investigation is into possible mortgage fraud, tax fraud at the state and local level, insurance fraud and any related crimes.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment on the matter.
The news comes the same day that MSNBC reported that two sources confirmed Swalwell is looking at a run for governor in California.
The two sources reportedly told the news agency Swalwell has all but decided on the move, and one source even said the lawmaker could make an announcement as early as next week.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Swalwell’s office for confirmation on the matter.
MSNBC reported that Swalwell declined to comment on his gubernatorial ambitions.
SWALWELL, NEHLS CLASH AT CHILD MIGRANT HEARING OVER ALLEGED CHINESE SPY TIES: ‘YOU DON’T GET TO SAY THAT S—‘
Representative Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was criminally referred to the DOJ for alleged mortgage fraud. (John Lamparski)
Swalwell has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics, and last month he faced scrutiny over a «bizarre inconsistency» in his campaign’s Federal Election Commission filings that list several different reasons for payments to a Haitian American staffer totaling more than $360,000.
FEC filings from Swalwell for Congress and his Remedy PAC, dating back to 2021, show more than 75 payments to staffer Darly Meyer, ranging from $53 to more than $12,000 for various reasons.
Meyer received 27 payments last year totaling more than $120,000 and is on pace to earn a similar amount in 2025. The filings list multiple explanations for the disbursements, including travel, car and security services, and salary, as well as reimbursements for personal travel expenses, event flowers, and postage.
Over the years, Swalwell’s campaign has reported numerous expenditures on luxury car services, expensive restaurants, and high-end hotels in international cities such as Dubai, Berlin, Paris and London.
Swalwell also claimed there was strong evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump, but those claims have since been contradicted.
Durham’s report, released in 2023, found intelligence agencies lacked «actual evidence of collusion» to justify launching the Trump-Russia probe. The findings echoed Robert Mueller’s 2019 report, which found no criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia.
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This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
eric swalwell,justice department,donald trump,investigations
INTERNACIONAL
Panorama Internacional: Chile, elecciones con sorpresa y las deudas pendientes del 2019
Franco Parisi, Jeannette Jara, Marco Enriquez-Ominami, Johannes Kaiser, Jose Antonio Kast, Eduardo Artes, Evelyn Matthei y Mayne-Nicholls. Foto Reuters
Manifestantes ondean una bandera chilena durante una protesta contra el gobierno de Chile en Santiago de Chile, el 30 de diciembre de 2019. Foto ReutersINTERNACIONAL
El acuerdo con EE.UU. selló el alineamiento de Milei con Trump, pero abrió interrogantes en el Mercosur
El acuerdo sobre comercio e inversiones anunciado entre Estados Unidos y la Argentina selló a fuego el total e inflexible alineamiento del gobierno de Javier Milei con Donald Trump, pero al mismo tiempo abrió una serie de interrogantes sobre cómo impactará este entendimiento en el futuro del Mercosur y la relación con Brasil.
No por nada el acuerdo se conoció en la misma semana que desde la Cancillería se anunció que Milei se ausentará de la futura cumbre del bloque prevista en diciembre en Foz de Iguazú, donde Lula da Silva entregará a Paraguay la presidencia pro-tempore del bloque.
Leé también: Punto por punto, todos los detalles del acuerdo comercial entre la Argentina y EE.UU.
El estatuto del pacto regional impide a los países miembro suscribir acuerdos comerciales en forma individual. Milei, como lo hizo el anterior gobierno de Uruguay de Luis Lacalle Pou, busca hacer más elásticas estas disposiciones y abrir el pacto.
“La Argentina no puede negociar bilateralmente ni hacer acuerdos por su cuenta. Pero esto es un acuerdo marco que el gobierno puede presentar como exploratorio”, dijo a TN el analista internacional Mauro Embe.
El Gobierno cuidó mucho las formas de este acuerdo. La Casa Blanca lo anunció a través de “una declaración conjunta sobre el marco para un acuerdo entre Estados Unidos y la Argentina sobre comercio e inversión recíprocos”. No se habló de un acuerdo comercial.
“Así puede manejar en cierta forma los tiempos”, indicó el analista.
¿Cómo reaccionarán los demás socios del Mercosur?
El gobierno tiene como gran aliado dentro del bloque al presidente paraguayo, Santiago Peña, con quien Milei tiene un aceitado vínculo por su estrecha afinidad ideológica. Ahora se suma Rodrigo Paz, flamante mandatario de Bolivia, el último país en incorporarse al bloque.
En la vereda de enfrente se encuentra en especial Luiz Lula da Silva, némesis de Milei en el Cono Sur, y el más pragmático mandatario progresista uruguayo, Yamandú Orsi. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva y Javier Milei se vieron en Buenos Aires en la última cumbre del MERCOSUR (Vía Reuters)
“Lo que ha hecho el gobierno argentino es medio border. Está en el límite dentro de lo legal (que marca el estatuto del Mercosur). Esto podría generar una queja interna ante este avance unilateral”, dijo Embe.
Para el analista, “este acuerdo marco podría transformarse en un tratado, aunque en ningún lado se habla de un pacto de libre comercio. Lleva a futuros acuerdos. Fueron muy cautos en el nombre en este acuerdo marco para favorecer inversiones”, afirmó.
Leé también: Ser obeso o tener un hijo con discapacidad podría ser un motivo de rechazo de la visa para ingresar a EE.UU.
Ahora se abre un período de negociaciones en el seno del bloque. Si bien aún no fue definida una fecha de la cumbre, se estima que podría celebrarse el 20 de diciembre con las notorias ausencias de Milei y de Peña.
Cómo impactará el acuerdo con EE.UU. en la relación con Brasil
En este nuevo escenario no cabe duda de que el anunciado acuerdo entre Argentina y EE.UU. impactará de manera negativa en el difícil vínculo entre Buenos Aires y Brasilia.
“El primer impacto inmediato es el debilitamiento del Mercosur. Los acuerdos puntuales de país a país debilitan al bloque. Pero además, en función del conflicto que enfrenta a Brasil con EE.UU. en materia arancelaria, esto desgasta aún más la relación entre Milei y Lula que ya no era buena pero permanecía” sin cambios en el terreno comercial, dijo a TN el analista brasileño Marco Teixeira, de la Fundación Getúlio Vargas, de Río de Janeiro.
Leé también: Uruguay sufre una epidemia de homicidios: crece la inseguridad vinculada al narcotráfico
El acuerdo se sumará así a la anunciada ausencia de Milei de la cumbre del Mercosur en la que Brasil deberá traspasar la presidencia pro-témpore a Paraguay y donde espera anunciar el postergado tratado comercial con la Unión Europea (UE).
¿Qué pasará ahora con el Mercosur?
Milei cumplió el mandato de alinear a su gobierno detrás de la Casa Blanca en absolutamente todos los aspectos.
“Este es un punto más en el alineamiento total con EE.UU. Por supuesto esto tiene un precio. Más allá de la afinidad ideológica, Milei reduce la maniobrabilidad en ciertos sectores. Cuando un país se alinea tanto con una gran potencia cualquier margen de maniobra o pragmatismo se agota o se reduce”, dijo Embe.
En este contexto, el Mercosur está llamado a sufrir en los próximos 30 días fuertes turbulencias.
El analista internacional Juan Negri dijo a TN que la firma de este entendimiento con Washington “es una prueba más del estancamiento del bloque regional, de la incapacidad de adaptarse a nuevas realidades y de las visiones distintas que imperan en el interior del bloque”.
“El Mercosur se encuentra en una encrucijada. Tiene una estructura que le hace muy difícil reformarse porque tienen que estar todos los socios de acuerdo. Es un bloque agujereado que entra en tensión cada vez que en la Argentina y Brasil asumen gobiernos de derecha”, afirmó.
EE.UU, comercio
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