Congress still has a lot of unfinished business, including the cost of healthcare and another looming continuing resolution (CR) fight.
With neither side willing to budge, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has just sent the House on its Christmas recess.
As a result, Johnson is now being attacked by members on both sides of the aisle.
The issue of healthcare subsidies or a replacement program has been top of mind for members of Congress going back to September.
The government was shut down over the dilemma, a fact that even drew heat from some Republicans who wanted the issue addressed.
For instance, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) stated, “I can’t see into the future, but I see Republicans losing the House if Americans are continuing to go paycheck-to-paycheck.”
She continued, “They’ll definitely be going into the midterms looking through the lens of their bank account.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) has been all over the media lately, having recently announced a run for the Senate.
Crockett’s seat was among those that Dems were likely lose due to redistricting in Texas, so she figured she would roll the dice and try to steal Sen. John Cornyn’s upper chamber seat in the upcoming election.
She also ripped Johnson and Republicans, stating, “There is just one group of people that [couldn’t] care less about doing what they’re supposed to do, which is to govern.”
Remember, this comes from a woman who is on the record essentially saying that legislating is not her true priority, and she only wants to stop the bad orange man.
With everyone at a stalemate, Johnson decided that there was no need to stick around D.C., so he sent everyone home for the holidays, and the House will not come back into session until after the New Year.
The break comes in the wake of a 43-day shutdown, so the move drew some curious looks, given that there is so much at stake, especially for the GOP, fighting what is historically an uphill battle in the upcoming midterm cycle.
The deadline for the new CR is Jan. 30, so there will only be 12 formal session days once the House returns to hammer out that legislation. Democrats have stated they are ready to shut down the government again, so the only solution would be to use reconciliation to pass the spending bill.
My bigger concern, however, is healthcare costs. I cannot tell you how many calls I get every day from friends wanting to know if I have read or heard anything on this front, and I tell them exactly what I tell my readers… right now, nobody is budging, so dig in and get ready for some massive premiums once the calendar flips.
