Even though the Affordable Care Act is broken, Sen. Katie Britt said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" Sunday, the GOP is open to negotiate on ACA subsidies.
However, the Alabama Republican stressed that Democrats need to "do the right thing" and vote to end the government shutdown first.
"The underlying issue is the brokenness of Obamacare," Britt said. "You've got the 2021 premiums that they've given to everyone. Do you understand Democrats are actually asking for us to continue premiums that are going to millionaires in some cases?
"We've got to be more and more responsible with taxpayer dollars. And if you want these health care systems to even be able to work, then we have to have a larger conversation."
The senator emphasized, "This is absolutely, totally ridiculous to sit here and say we're afraid people cannot afford their health care, but at the same time we're going to deny them their paycheck [to federal workers during the shutdown]. Those two things do not match up, and Democrats need to actually be honest about it and get the government back open and we're happy to have conversations."
Britt added that "Democrats need to come to the table and do the right thing. Just as I've been traveling the state this weekend, I have heard countless stories of people who are not getting a paycheck, whether it's our men and women in uniform or those who serve alongside them, or whether we're talking to veterans or we're talking to just a number of people."
Britt reiterated on CNN's "State of the Union," also on Sunday, that "I'm absolutely open to having [a] conversation, but we're not going to extend a program that is wrought with fraud, waste, and abuse. There would have to be adjustments to this program to make it make sense for the American people."
The credits were first offered during the COVID-19 pandemic and later extended with the passage of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, The Hill reported. But they expire at the end of this year, and at that point premiums would significantly increase.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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