The Daily Blast: Mike Johnson Rattled by New Revolt as MAGA-GOP Fury Boils: “Bullshit!”

The DSR Network

Chris Cotnoir

Government

4.5 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

In a blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson, four House Republicans joined Democrats to force a vote next year on an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Anger is spiking in both directions: Representative Mike Lawler, one of those four, ripped Johnson’s effort to block that vote as “absolute bullshit!” But more MAGA-fied allies of President Trump like Representative Eric Burlison excoriated those rebels for “stabbing the rest of the party in the back.” This is the worst of both worlds for Republicans: They are mired in infighting, yet despite this push by centrists, the subsidies will still expire, bringing political trouble next year. Indeed, Johnson seemed unnerved as he gamely insisted he has “not lost control.” We talked to Grace Segers, who writes well about Congress and policy as a staff writer for The New Republic. We discuss the deeper roots of intra-GOP tensions, how this all might play in the midterms, and the deeper human toll that the expiring subsidies will unleash. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Daily Blast from the New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.
0:16.4	I'm your host, Greg Sargent.
0:35.4	In a big blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson, four House Republicans just joined with Democrats to force a boat next year on an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies.
0:40.8	Those Republicans, who are vulnerable in the midterms, are hoping this helps save their seats next year.
0:41.8	But will it?
0:42.9	The problem for Republicans is that what's happening now is almost certain not to save the
0:48.3	subsidies, which will leave them on the wrong side of the health care issue when they can
0:52.3	least afford it.
0:53.9	New polls today underscore the depth of the party's whole on health care issue when they can least afford it. New polls today underscore the
0:55.6	depth of the party's whole on health care and the economy. And Mike Johnson's reaction to all this
1:01.1	was unintentionally revealing as well. We're talking about all of it with Grace Seegers, who writes
1:06.5	really well about Congress and Policy as a staff writer for the New Republic. Grace, good to have you on.
1:12.4	Thanks so much for having me. So let's start here. Four Republicans just joined this discharge
1:17.7	petition to force a vote in 26 on a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies
1:23.6	that were expanded under Joe Biden and are expiring. Grace, this expiration is going to hit
1:29.5	millions of people, and yet it's highly likely that even if this House bill passes, it won't get
1:34.6	into law. Can you explain all this? So today we saw four House Republicans sign onto a discharge
1:40.9	petition, which is basically a way for them to get around the House process
1:45.0	and force a vote on legislation that would allow the extension of these subsidies.
1:52.4	Like you said, this is a really big deal for millions of Americans who rely on the Affordable
1:57.9	Care Act marketplace to enroll in health care. But the issue here is that
2:03.5	even if and when it does pass in the House next year, first of all, the subsidies will have already
	...

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