Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., a centrist who often breaks with his party on health policy, said House Republicans have spent years attacking the Affordable Care Act without producing a workable replacement.
Republicans have been unable to craft "an articulable plan that's going to work for everyday Americans," Fitzpatrick told CNN on Sunday, arguing that the party's long-running critique of Obamacare rings hollow without a credible substitute.
He recalled the last major repeal push during his first term in Congress, when he voted against the 2017 GOP bill to scrap and replace the ACA because he believed the proposal was rushed and inadequate.
"I thought the replacement was insufficient. It was hastily put together, not well thought out," Fitzpatrick said, adding that eight years later the conference is in essentially the same spot.
Fitzpatrick's remarks came as Congress faces a looming debate over enhanced ACA premium tax credits, the subsidies expanded during the pandemic that lower monthly premiums for millions of marketplace enrollees.
Those credits are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025 unless lawmakers extend them, a change that health groups warn could spike costs and push people off coverage.
Fitzpatrick has urged his party to support extension efforts, framing affordability as a day-to-day issue rather than a partisan talking point.
He also suggested that internal Republican frustrations about stalled legislation are partly self-inflicted.
Asked whether rank-and-file GOP lawmakers are upset that their bills aren't reaching the House floor, Fitzpatrick said yes — but blamed a "lack of priorities."
He said the majority should be focused on reducing the cost of living, including healthcare, housing, and food.
Instead, he said, leaders are burning floor time on measures that don't move prices down, citing votes to condemn socialism or address NIL rules for college sports.
"Why are we focusing on that? That's not what our constituents care about," he said, noting he has raised the concern directly with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Fitzpatrick has positioned himself as a pro-reform Republican rather than a repeal advocate, backing bipartisan bills aimed at lowering out-of-pocket costs and expanding savings tools for families.
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