Democrats Introduce CRA Resolution to Overturn Harmful ACA Marketplace Rule

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and 38 of their Senate colleagues have introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn a Trump administration rule making it harder and more expensive for Americans to enroll for health care coverage on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH-13) is leading the joint resolution in the House of Representatives.

Issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 25, 2025, the Trump administration's rule will raise premiums and out-of-pocket costs, allow insurers to scale back covered services, and impose new barriers on families who rely on the marketplaces for affordable coverage.

More than 22 million Americans count on the ACA marketplaces for their health insurance. Under the Trump administration's so-called "Marketplace Integrity and Affordability" rule, they would face higher premiums, steeper out-of-pocket costs, and bureaucratic hurdles that make it harder to access the care they need. CMS projects that up to 1.8 million people could lose their coverage next year, while those who remain insured will pay billions more. The rule is expected to raise premiums for working families by nearly $3 billion and saddle consumers and states with an estimated 15 million hours of new administrative burdens.

"This is about protecting families from higher costs and preserving the covered services they count on," said Sen. Warner. "At every turn, President Trump and Republicans in Congress are making it harder and more expensive for Americans to get health care. Their rule would spike costs, strip away covered services, and push families off their insurance. Our resolution will block this harmful rule and deliver relief to millions of families who need it."

"Since entering office, Trump and Republicans seem dead set on ripping away healthcare from millions and jacking up prices for American families. Repealing this rule is about affordability and access - making sure that people aren't paying more for less," said Leader Schumer. "If passed, this rule repeal would provide immediate relief to the American people, eliminating premium and out-of-pocket increases. There is no reason to make families jump through additional bureaucratic hoops or pay more for the same coverage. With this CRA, the American people can see Democrats want to lower costs and make healthcare accessible, and Republicans side with special interests and health insurers."

"Trump and Dr. Oz have already begun using smoke and mirrors to kick eligible Americans off their health coverage and raise costs," Sen. Wyden said. "The changes proposed by the Trump administration imports the worst tactics from for-profit health insurance companies to make it harder for Americans to sign up for and keep their health care. Our legislation gives an opportunity to Republicans to roll reject these harmful changes and help Americans get affordable health care for their families."

"I am urging Republicans to reverse course and prevent this massive increase in health insurance premiums that's coming swiftly for Georgians as a result of Trump administration policies," Sen. Ossoff said. "This legislation will protect Georgia families from a huge increase in health insurance premiums."

"The cost of health care, housing, gas, and groceries is going up and Republicans continue to make things worse by kicking people off their health care," said Rep. Sykes. "The Trump administration's rule makes it more difficult to sign up for health care through the Affordable Care Act and attempts to sabotage the marketplace by kicking two million people off their health care plans. We must repeal this rule to protect Americans' access to affordable health care."

Repealing the rule through the CRA resolution would bring relief to American families already facing less coverage and rising costs due to Republican health cuts by blocking the Trump administration from implementing policies that:

• Raise premiums and out-of-pocket costs for consumers who receive premium tax credits with changes that allow plans to charge more and cover less;
• Increase annual out-of-pocket limits for all families with ACA and employer coverage by up to $900;
• Require a new re-enrollment fee for low-income workers, which could harm access to coverage for over 2.5 million people over the course of the next decade, according to CMS;
• Create arbitrary red tape and verification barriers that will keep people from buying new coverage or renewing their existing coverage;
• Increase the total paperwork burden for working people by millions of hours, according to CMS, and raise the administrative cost burden for ACA marketplaces by hundreds of millions of dollars; and
• Shorten the annual open enrollment period and special enrollment periods that provide flexibility for working people to buy the health insurance they need.

Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress can overturn federal regulations within a specified timeframe following their finalization. If passed and signed into law, this resolution would nullify the rule and prevent CMS from issuing a similar rule in the future.

In addition to Sens. Warner, Schumer, Wyden and Ossoff, the joint resolution is sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

The CRA effort has been endorsed by AiArthritis, the AIDS Institute, American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund, Association of American Medical Colleges, Autoimmune Association, Blood Cancer United, Cancer Nation (formerly National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, the Coalition for Hemophilia B, Community Catalyst, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Epilepsy Foundation of America, Families USA, Hemophilia Federation of America, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, Immune Deficiency Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Bleeding DIsorders Foundation, NHeLP, National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, National Patient Advocate Foundation, Protect Our Care, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, SEIU, UnidosUS, and WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.

"Donald Trump and Republicans are obsessed with ripping away coverage from Americans in every way they can. By introducing legislation to overturn Trump's health care sabotage rule, Senator Warner is standing up for hardworking families who want lower health care costs to be able to keep their coverage," said Brad Woodhouse, President, Protect Our Care.

"We have a health care crisis in this country. And every day it is getting worse. The Trump administration's disastrous new ACA Marketplace rules will mean that more people will be kicked off their health insurance plan, health care premiums will spike, and our nation's medical debt crisis will worsen with health coverage becoming more unaffordable and less accessible. We applaud Senators Warner, Ossoff and Wyden for offering this critical resolution calling to undo these harmful policies. Our government should be a part of the solution to the health care crisis, not part of the problem," said Mona Shah, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy, Community Catalyst.

"Policymakers should be working to make health care more affordable and more accessible for people in this country and simply put, the administration's recent Marketplace integrity rule does the opposite. When the proposed rule was released, Families USA joined tens of thousands of commenters from a wide array of stakeholders to share our disapproval and concern. We applaud the leadership of Senators Warner, Ossoff and Wyden in leading this resolution to repeal this ill-thought out and harmful rule," said Jen Taylor, Senior Director of Government Relations, Families USA.

"Earlier this year, the Trump administration finalized a cruel rule that kicks people when they're down - blocking families from coverage when they need health care the most, cutting off Dreamers from the ACA marketplace, and piling on new red tape that makes it harder for working people to access the benefits they qualify for. At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet, this rule does real harm. UnidosUS applauds Senators Warner, Ossoff, and Wyden and all the resolution's cosponsors for pushing to repeal it and for standing with Latinos and working families across the country," said Susie Feliz, Senior Advisor for Legislative Affairs and Institutional Strategy, UnidosUS.

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