House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) this week received a list from a working group, led by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Terri Sewell (D-AL), that laid out Democratic priorities on healthcare if Democrats flip the House in November.
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Democrats → receive → November
Democrats have campaigned on healthcare throughout the cycle but have, for the most part, offered little detail on what their agenda might look like.
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agenda → campaign → what
But the new list, reported by Punchbowl, encompasses a wide range of ideas across the Democratic ideological spectrum and offers a clue into the issues Democrats could pursue in January.
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Democrats → report → January
“The working groups on affordability have made a lot of progress in diving deep into what kind of legislative efforts we can put forward in five different areas: housing, healthcare, gas and utilities, groceries and goods, and caregiving,” Jeffries told reporters Thursday morning.
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Jeffries → work → reporters
“Those are five areas where we can expect to see decisive action.”
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we → expect → action
But Jeffries admitted his caucus has yet to agree on specific policy proposals.
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caucus → admit → proposals
“But in terms of when we actually get to consensus on the legislative proposals, you know that’s a work in progress,” he added.
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he → get → progress
The healthcare working group reflects the entire spectrum of the Democratic Party, reflected by the progressive Ocasio-Cortez and more centrist Sewell leading the group.
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group → reflect → group
While Democrats hope to flip the House to advance some of these priorities, unless they take veto-proof majorities in both chambers, much of the agenda faces an uphill climb with President Donald Trump in the White House until January 2029.
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much → hope → January
Here are some of the healthcare priorities Democrats have weighed if they win the House in 47 days.
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they → weigh → days
Restore enhanced Obamacare tax credits
Democrats aimed to extend the Obamacare subsidies last year and early this year, but hit a stonewall in the Republican-controlled Senate.
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Democrats → restore → Senate
Jeffries passed a bill, with the help of a handful of Republicans, that would have extended the subsidies, which expired on Dec. 31 of last year, for three years.
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which → pass → years
“The ending of the ACA subsidies have devastated Coloradans,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) told the Washington Examiner.
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Crow → devastate → Examiner
Democrats went as far as to use their leverage in a government funding fight that ultimately led to a shutdown in an effort to extend the Obamacare tax credits last year, but were unsuccessful.
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that → go → credits
Their push during the funding fight indicated how hard they are expected to push for this extension if they gain the majority.
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they → indicate → majority
Undo Medicaid cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Democrats have spent over a year campaigning against the changes to Medicaid in Trump’s tax bill.
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Democrats → spend → bill
The GOP bill, passed last July, beefed up Medicaid work requirements for single, able-bodied adults.
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bill → pass → adults
Democrats labeled the legislation the “Big, Ugly Law” and have held hundreds of events across the country over the last year to rail against the bill.
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Democrats → label → bill
“These cuts were enacted to provide massive tax breaks to billionaire MAGA Republican donors, and that’s why when we’re on the other side of the Nov. 3 general election, one of the first things we will endeavor to undertake is to reverse these painful Medicaid cuts
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we → enact → cuts
,” Jeffries said earlier this year.
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Jeffries → say → ?
“Hands off Medicaid, hands off Medicare, hands off the Affordable Care Act, and hands off the healthcare of the American people,” Jeffries added.
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Jeffries → add → people
This would likely be one of the first moves a Democrat-controlled House makes in the new Congress.
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House → control → Congress
The working group reportedly also included the controversial policy stance of “Medicare for all” in the list of policy ideas, something that has long been a priority for progressive and socialist candidates.
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that → work → candidates
“There’s a large diversity of opinions in the caucus, so a lot of what we do is just compile all the different proposals among the caucus,” Ocasio-Cortez told Punchbowl.
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Cortez → ’ → Punchbowl
“Medicare for all is of course included.
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Medicare → include → course
While Jeffries previously supported Medicare for All legislation, he recently walked back his opinion on Meet the Press, saying, “No, as you indicated, I haven’t cosponsored the Medicare for All legislation that has been introduced over the last several years.”
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that → support → years
Jeffries’s shift highlights the complexity the issue holds within the House Democratic caucus, and how it could be a splitting issue for the party.
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it → highlight → party
While more centrist Democrats leaned toward more modest healthcare priorities, progressives, such as Abdul el Sayed in Michigan, has made “Medicare for all” a central tenet of his campaign.
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Medicare → lean → campaign
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