WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday during a Rules Committee hearing that began at 1 a.m., U.S. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (MI-03) introduced several critical amendments, including to protect affordable health care for millions of Americans and funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. As House Republicans push forward a budget proposal that would slash nearly a trillion dollars from Medicaid, gut food assistance, threaten our Great Lakes and drive-up costs for hard-working families, Scholten offered a starkly different approach–one focused on protecting coverage and lowering premiums.
Hear the interview with Jesse Bruce and Rep. Scholten below.
WATCH: Rep. Scholten delivers remarks at all night Rules Committee Hearing
Her amendment would make the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies permanent. These subsidies, which have helped drive the uninsured rate to historic lows, are set to expire on December 31, 2025–putting more than 4.2 million people at risk of losing coverage, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Scholten’s amendment eliminates the income cap that currently cuts off eligibility at 400% of the federal poverty line and maintains a cap on premium contributions so that no family pays more than 8.5% of their income toward health insurance. These provisions help ensure that working-class and middle-class Americans, including small business owners, self-employed workers, and families in the coverage gap, can continue to access affordable care.
In Michigan, over 374,000 people rely on these enhanced subsidies for their coverage. If allowed to expire, many of these families would face unaffordable premium hikes or lose insurance altogether. Scholten emphasized that while Republicans are focused on ripping coverage away from children, seniors, and people with disabilities, she’s focused on keeping and expanding coverage. Her amendment offers a responsible, proven solution to keep people covered.
In addition to her health care amendment, Scholten introduced three others focused on protecting Michigan jobs, clean water, and American clean energy leadership. One amendment would protect Michigan’s intercity passenger rail project between Grand Rapids and Chicago by preventing the Secretary of Transportation from prematurely removing projects from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Corridor Identification and Development Program.
Scholten also introduced an amendment that would fund the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional clean water programs–including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative–which is vital to Michigan’s economy and environment and yields more than triple the return on investment.
Finally, Scholten proposed extending the Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for clean energy projects through the end of 2025 to ensure regulatory certainty and continued investment in renewable natural gas systems, especially those critical to rural and agricultural communities.
Through all of these efforts, Rep. Scholten reaffirmed her commitment to fighting for hard-working families.
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