Dads Caucus

Rep. Jimmy Gomez hosted a press conference with the Dads Caucus urging Republican Leadership to extend ACA tax credits. Below are his remarks as written:

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here.

I’m Congressman Jimmy Gomez, Chair of the Congressional Dads Caucus.

Let me be clear about why we’re here today: Republicans chose to shut down the government instead of protecting affordable health care for millions of Americans.

Now, as the shutdown drags on, families across the country are opening their mail and seeing something devastating — notices that their health insurance premiums are about to skyrocket.

One constituent in my district told me she’s facing a 70% increase in her health insurance premiums. Seventy percent. And that’s actually on the low end. Across the country, millions of people are going to see even higher hikes.

People can’t live like this.

And that’s why the Dads Caucus is stepping up.

Over the past few days and weeks, we’ve been holding town halls, visiting hospitals and clinics, and talking with doctors, nurses, and advocates. Everywhere we go, we hear the same thing: “We need help. Don’t let our healthcare slip away.”

For the Dads Caucus, this fight to protect the ACA tax credits has been longstanding — because we know what affordable, quality health care means for families and children.

In March, our caucus held a press conference urging House Republicans to stop writing tax breaks for billionaires and instead extend these health care tax credits.

Then in May, during the House Ways and Means Committee debate on their so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” Representative Steven Horsford offered an amendment to do just that.

I fully supported it and spoke during the hearing, sharing my own diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes — to make clear what this means for millions of parents who depend on affordable care to stay healthy and provide for their families.

Despite our efforts, Republicans on the committee rejected the amendment.

Today, we’re taking that message directly to Republican leadership.

Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans need to come back to Washington. They need to reopen the government by including an extension of the ACA’s premium tax credits in any continuing resolution.

And here’s the thing — the vast majority of people want this solution. Nearly 80% of Americans, including most Republicans and even a majority of MAGA supporters, want Congress to extend these tax credits.

Even Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has expressed interest in doing so.

This is because the states that will be hit hardest if these tax credits expire are Republican states — Texas, Florida, West Virginia, and Wyoming. These states have some of the highest numbers of people who rely on these subsidies to afford insurance.

When the credits vanish, their costs explode. Families get priced out. More people go uninsured.

We’re not just fighting for our constituents — we’re fighting for Republican constituents too. What happens to them still matters to us.

Because when working families can afford healthcare, that’s good for America.

Thank you.