SACRAMENTO, Calif. (FOX26) — Support among House Republicans for extending expiring health care subsidies increased Thursday, with 17 GOP members voting in favor of the bill, up from nine the previous day.

The procedural vote allowed the House to advance legislation that would extend health care subsidies that expired at the end of 2025.

Observers say the growing support signals Republican willingness to engage in bipartisan negotiations on a compromise.

The nine Republicans who voted in favor included Reps. Rob Bresnahan (Pa.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Tom Kean Jr. (N.J.), Nick LaLota (N.Y.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Ryan Mackenzie (Pa.), Max Miller (Ohio), Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.) and David Valadao (Calif.).

Thursday, eight more Republicans joined in support: Reps. Mike Carey (Ohio), Monica De La Cruz (Texas), Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.), Jeff Hurd (Colo.), Dave Joyce (Ohio), Zach Nunn (Iowa), Derrick Van Orden (Wis.) and Robert Wittman (Va.).

Four of the initial nine, Fitzpatrick, Lawler, Mackenzie and Bresnahan, signed a discharge petition put forth by House Democrats, which forced the vote.

The uptick in Republican support reflects ongoing efforts to move the bill forward and extend critical health care subsidies while Congress continues bipartisan talks.

California Advocates Criticize GOP response

While the vote represents an uptick in Republican support, California health care advocates say the action comes too late to families already struggling with skyrocketing premiums.

The Fight For Our Health campaign, led by Health Access, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, issued a statement following the vote, noting that only one California Republican, David Valadao, voted in favor of the bill.

In the statement they say a small number of Congressional Republicans finally acted to address the mounting health care affordability crisis, but only after the political repercussions for their decision to allow premiums to skyrocket became too obvious to ignore.

“Their support for a vote to revive the subsidies is too little, too late for California families who have already been forced to choose worse coverage for their families or go without insurance altogether.”

Advocates note the impact has been significant: new plan sign-ups for 2026 in Covered California are down 30% statewide, while Valadao’s district has seen a 38% decrease in new enrollments.

Many families are now paying more for less coverage, with more consumers choosing Bronze-level plans that have higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.

In some cases, premiums for 2026 have doubled or tripled; one Bay Area couple reported an 800% increase.

The advocacy groups also highlighted how previous Republican-led legislation, including H.R. 1 last year, reduced funding for Medicare, blocked access to Medi-Cal for millions of Californians, and cut subsidies that help make coverage affordable through the state’s ACA marketplace.