Rep. Sykes, Senators Schumer, Wyn, Ossoff and Warner Introduce Legislation to Protect the ACA

Rep. Sykes, Senators Schumer, Wyn, Ossoff and Warner Introduce Legislation to Protect the ACA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) and Senators, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) 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.

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.

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.

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

"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 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."

"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."

"Trump and Congressional Republicans continue to put fuel on the fire of the health care crisis they created. Instead of working with us to keep the government open and lower health care costs, they would rather make life even harder for working families," House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) said. "The Trump Administration is making it more difficult to sign up for health care through the Affordable Care Act-kicking about two million people off their insurance. Congresswoman Sykes's bill will stop this sabotage and protect health care for Americans. I'm grateful for her leadership on this important legislation and look forward to working together to advance it."

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

"This ACA Marketplace rule is cruel and dangerous. This is not surprising coming from an administration that has ripped healthcare away from millions and is willing to shut down the government to raise costs for 20 million American families. This rule doubles down on raising costs, stripping coverage from millions, denying DACA recipients access to care, and telling trans people their lives don't matter. It is another cruel attach from an administration that prioritizes its billionaire buddies over working people. SEIU members strongly support the resolution to repeal this harmful rule. We need policies like this that restore healthcare for millions and that move us closer to a just, inclusive healthcare system- one that protects all of us, no matter where we're from, what we look like, or who we are," said Leslie Frane, Executive Vice President of SEIU.

This joint resolution is co-sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Gabe Amo, Becca Balint, Nanette Barragan, Sanford Bishop, Judy Chu, Emanuel Cleaver, Herb Conaway, Angie Craig, Danny Davis, Dwight Evans, Jahana Hayes, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ro Khanna, Greg Landsman, John Larson, Ted Lieu, Gwen Moore, Luz Rivas, Jan Schakowsky, Terri Sewell, Bennie Thompson, Norma Torres, & Juan Vargas.