House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday rejected as “ridiculous” an accusation that Democrats want to let pivotal Obamacare subsidies lapse in order to deal a political blow to Republicans.
“Shame on you,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., said at one point as he pushed back on that notion in a fiery exchange with CNBC’s Becky Quick on “Squawk Box.”
The clash came less than six weeks before those subsidies — enhanced tax credits that reduce health-insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act for millions of enrollees — are set to expire.
Quick had questioned why House Democrats are seeking a three-year extension of those subsidies, which Republicans won’t support, instead of a one- or two-year deal, which some might.
When Jeffries noted that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had offered a one-year extension of the tax credits during the government shutdown, Quick interjected, pressing him not to “go back to what’s done in the past.”
