{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-votes-to-extend-health-care-tax-credits-protect-access-to-care-for-vermonters/", "Welch Votes to Extend Health Care Tax Credits, Protect Access to Care for Vermonters", "2025-12-11", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today released the following statement after Republicans blocked a vote on the Lower Health Care Costs Act, a three-year extension of urgently-needed health care tax credits for Vermonters:\n\n\u201cA health care crisis is literally days away, yet 48 of my Republican colleagues are refusing to act. We owe it to hardworking families in Vermont and across America to extend these health care tax credits and protect access to quality, affordable health care. Premiums are about to double\u2014even triple\u2014if we don\u2019t take action in the next 20 days,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cIt couldn\u2019t be more clear: working families, farmers, and seniors can\u2019t afford a massive spike in their premiums; millions could lose their health care; people will be forced to choose between paying for care and putting food on the table. I\u2019m not giving up on the fight to extend these tax credits and protect Vermonters\u2019 access to care.\u201d\n\nThe Affordable Care Act\u2019s premium tax credits, which help over 24 million Americans\u2014including nearly 30,000 Vermonters\u2014afford health care, are set to expire on December 31, 2025. So far, Republicans have refused to work with Democrats to avoid this coverage cliff, which would drive up costs for millions. Senate Democrats today offered a three-year extension of the tax credits, which was blocked by Republicans.\n\nSenator Welch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, is a champion in the fight to lower health care and prescription drug costs. Last week, he joined Senator Schumer to unveil Senate Democrats\u2019 plan to extend the tax credits and protect access to care for millions.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-votes-to-extend-health-care-tax-credits-protect-access-to-care-for-vermonters/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6992442067712545, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}