Senator Gallego on CNN: ‘Americans are going to have their insurance rates doubled if the Republicans and Donald Trump don’t act’

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined CNN's Boris Sanchez to discuss the looming government shutdown. Gallego emphasized that unless Republicans act to save the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits from expiring at the end of this year, more than 24 million Americans will be forced to pay more for their health care or lose it altogether.

Read highlights from the interview below:

Gallego:"24 million Americans are going to have their insurance rates, premiums, doubled starting November 1st - that's when open enrollment starts. This is going to affect 24 million Americans. So we now essentially have less than 30 days to negotiate, and even less than that when it comes to Senate days. So if they're serious, then you get going. In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to save 24 million Americans […] to help them keep their insurance rates low."

Sanchez: "The subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year. I understand what you're saying about open enrollment beginning on November 1st, and that's essentially when they will see a difference in what they'll be paying for health care. Do you believe that this moment, this is right now, the best leverage that Democrats are going to have to try to extend those subsidies? Or are you just skeptical that Republicans will actually make a deal if a CR is passed?"

Gallego: "Look, what we've seen continuously from Republicans is that they don't care about the health care of Americans. This is the same group of people that just cut Medicaid, that's going to end up closing rural hospitals. So, I'm sorry, I'm going to take for a grain of salt that they're actually negotiating in good faith when I know that 24 million Americans are about to have their insurance premiums doubled - we're talking thousands of dollars more that families are going to have to be paying all of next year just because Republicans and Donald Trump don't want to pass a very simple extension."

9/30/25