December 9, 2025

Good Tuesday evening. In this edition: Senate Republicans propose health care alternative to Democrats' ACA subsidies extension.

• Plus, European leaders, social media ban, New York governor race and Nancy Mace.

Health Care

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Republicans will put forward their own health care proposal for a vote on Thursday alongside a Democratic bill to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.

• The GOP conference agreed at its weekly luncheon to advance a plan crafted by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the respective chairs of the Finance and Health committees.

While the Democratic bill would extend the enhanced ACA tax credits for three years, the Republican proposal would instead fund health savings accounts (HSA) to help cover medical costs.

• The GOP bill would provide $1,000 for individuals ages 18 to 49 and $1,500 for those 50 to 65 with incomes up to 700% of the federal poverty level.

To qualify for the HSA contribution, an individual must purchase a bronze or catastrophic plan on the Obamacare marketplace.

• Bronze plans carry lower premiums than other tiers but higher out-of-pocket costs, with average deductibles around $7,000.

The GOP legislation also reduces Medicaid funding to states that provide health insurance coverage to illegal immigrants and requires states to verify citizenship or immigration status before providing coverage.

• It also calls for ending taxpayer-funded abortion and transgender services.

Sen. Thune portrayed the GOP plan as a fiscally responsible alternative to the Democratic proposal, which he argued would continue an unsustainable program rife with waste, fraud and abuse.

• "It actually does make health insurance premiums more affordable," Sen. Thune said. "It drives down, according to the Congressional Budget Office, premiums by double-digit levels. It delivers the benefit directly to the patient, not the insurance company. And it does it in a way that actually saves money."

The enhanced ACA subsidies, enacted during the pandemic, are set to expire at the end of the year, which is expected to lead to sharp increases in out-of-pocket premium costs for millions of Americans.

• Sen. Thune agreed to hold a vote on the Democratic bill as part of the deal that ended the record-long government shutdown.
  
  
• Until Tuesday, it was unclear whether Republicans would offer a competing proposal.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) declared the Republican plan "dead on arrival," saying it fails to lower costs for Americans.

• "Their bill is junk insurance. It's been repudiated in the past. The American people will repudiate it once again," he told reporters. "We should call it what it is: misdirection, smoke and mirrors, a cover up, blocking the ACA tax credits that keep health care costs down."

Sen. Schumer said Thursday would be Republicans' "last chance" to extend the ACA subsidies, warning they would be responsible for any resulting premium increases.

• "Our bill keeps premiums down. Their chaos sends premiums up," he said. "Republicans have 48 hours to choose: join Democrats and stop the spike or stick millions of Americans with higher costs."

Neither of the competing proposals is expected to come close to the 60-vote threshold needed to advance.

Watch the remarks from Sens. Thune and Schumer.

In other news…

• President Trump described Europe as "decaying" and led by "weak" leaders in an interview with Politico's Dasha Burns, who also hosts C-SPAN's "Ceasefire" program. "I think they're weak, but I also think that they want to be so politically correct," he said. "I think they don't know what to do. Europe doesn't know what to do." The comments came days after his administration released its annual national security strategy, which warned that European nations could face "civilizational erasure" due to migration. He also called for elections to be held in Ukraine, saying the country was "using war" as an excuse. "They talk about having a democracy, but it gets to the point where it's not a democracy anymore," he said.
  
  

• Australia became the first country to ban social media use for children under 16, aiming to protect them from risks associated with interacting with strangers online and from the mental health effects of cyberbullying. "This will be one of the biggest social and cultural changes our nation has faced," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. "It is profound reform which will be a source of national pride in years to come." Social media companies will be responsible for ensuring children under 16 are not using their platforms, and those that fail to comply will face substantial fines. Related, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Tuesday on proposals to protect kids in the U.S. from online harm.
  
  

• Bruce Blakeman, the Republican Nassau County executive, launched a campaign for New York governor, setting up a primary race with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). President Trump, who teed up Rep. Stefanik to serve in his Cabinet before reversing course earlier this year due to Republicans' thin House majority, declined to weigh in on the race when asked by reporters Monday. "He's great, and she's great. They're both great people. We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party," he said, adding that he would "think" about endorsing in the race. The winner of the primary will take on incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) next November.
  
  

• Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) criticized House GOP leadership in a New York Times op-ed titled "What's the Point of Congress?," calling the current House "restrictive and ineffective." She wrote that although she agrees with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on "essentially nothing," the Democratic leader was "a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century." "Ms. Pelosi was ruthless, but she got things done," Rep. Mace wrote, adding that Republican leaders are trying to replicate Rep. Pelosi's consolidation of power "without her bold vision to push through the policies that won us the majority."

For your radar…

• President Trump delivers remarks Tuesday night in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on the economy and affordability. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN.
  
  

• Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference Wednesday after the central bank makes its latest interest rate decision. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 2:30pm ET.

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