The Republicans said they expect the federal government to continue paying for the subsidies at least through 2017, according to the report.
The remarks come nearly a year after House Republicans prevailed in a lawsuit over the cost-sharing payments. In the lawsuit, House Republicans alleged Barack Obama’s administration improperly funded the subsides, because while Congress authorized the subsidy program under the ACA, it did not provide the money for it, according to the report. U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer ruled in favor of the GOP’s allegations. However, the Obama administration appealed the ruling. A decision on that appeal has yet to be made.
In the meantime, senior Republicans don’t plan to support a halt of the subsidies, according to the report.
“While the lawsuit is being litigated, then the administration funds these benefits,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Thursday, reports The New York Times. “That’s how they’ve been doing it, and I don’t see any change in that.”
Rep. Ryan added: “We don’t want to drop the lawsuit because we believe in the separation of powers. We believe in Congress retaining its lawmaking power.”
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