Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said Sunday she is “open” to discussing an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies during the government shutdown.
“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,” Britt told Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “There would have to be adjustments to this program to make it make sense for the American people.”
Britt called for income caps to qualify for the subsidies, despite her belief that the health care program needs a “total overhaul.” But the Alabama Republican only wants to have those discussions once the shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, ends.
“I am absolutely willing to have a conversation, but we have got to open the government first,” Britt added.
Republican Sen. Katie Britt on whether she’d vote to extend Obamacare subsidies: “I’m absolutely open to having 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… pic.twitter.com/Fsw7JUxr6M
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) October 19, 2025
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told MSNBC on Wednesday he had offered Democrats a vote on extending ACA subsidies but also proposed adding income limits for eligibility.
The ACA subsidies, created during the pandemic and extended by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, expire this year and could double premiums if not renewed, according to health policy research group KFF. Amid the shutdown, Democrats are pushing for a permanent extension, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) saying GOP support must be “ironclad” before talks proceed.
