Warner Statement on Senate Republicans Block of CRA Vote to Overturn Trump ACA Rule

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked passage of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn a Trump administration rule that would raise health care costs and make it harder for Americans to access coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces:

"Today's vote is the latest chapter in a years-long effort by Republicans to undermine the Affordable Care Act and make health care more expensive and harder to access for American families. By blocking this CRA resolution, Republicans gave the Trump administration rule a green light to raise premiums, increase out-of-pocket costs, add burdensome paperwork, and push as many as 1.8 million Americans off their health insurance.

"This vote follows a series of deliberate Republican actions that have already driven up health care costs. Just weeks ago, Republicans refused to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, driving premium increases of hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars a month for families who were already stretched thin. They've backed cuts to Medicaid, undermined marketplace stability, and now they've doubled down by letting this harmful rule stand. Taken together, these actions threaten both coverage and affordability for millions of Americans, deepening a health care crisis that never should have happened.

"This vote was a chance to do the bare minimum - to stop a rule so harmful that it's already been paused by the courts - and Republicans still said no. I'll continue fighting to protect affordable health care and to hold this administration accountable for policies that hurt working families."

The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress to overturn recently finalized federal rules within a specified timeframe. Today's resolution, introduced by Sens. Warner, Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and 40 other Senate Democrats, sought to nullify a Trump administration rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 25, 2025. The so-called "Marketplace Integrity and Affordability" rule would make it harder for Americans to enroll in ACA marketplace plans, reduce covered services, increase premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and impose new bureaucratic hurdles on families and states. CMS projects that if implemented, up to 1.8 million people could lose coverage next year, while millions of others would face higher costs and increased administrative burdens.

Repealing the rule through the CRA would have prevented CMS from issuing a substantially similar policy in the future, protecting more than 22 million Americans who rely on the ACA marketplaces for affordable health insurance. Despite strong Democratic support, Senate Republicans blocked the resolution, allowing the rule to remain in effect.

Prior to the vote, Sen. Warner spoke on the floor, urging his Republican colleagues to support his legislation to protect Americans' health care. Full video of those remarks is available for download here.

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