Sen Jim Justice says Republicans are 'lousy' at knowing what everyday Americans think about healthcare
The Senate was unable to extend, or replace, expiring Obamacare subsidies, setting up a premium price spike that will hit tens of millions of Americans once they lapse on Wednesday.
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Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., believed that Republicans had accomplished numerous feats in 2025, but he and his party had fallen woefully short of truly understanding what the everyday American thinks.
"We, as Republicans, and I have said this so many times, we're lousy," Justice told Fox News Digital. "We're great at doing the good things, but we're lousy at really knowing what Toby and Edith are thinking. And that causes a lot of problems."
"Toby" and "Edith" are the names Justice gives to the average voter, a group he said that he knows well from his time as West Virginia’s governor for eight years before joining the Senate after scoring an easy victory in the 2024 election.
SEN MURPHY WARNS 'PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE' AS CONGRESS PUNTS ON EXPIRING OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES
Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., believes that Republicans are good at several things, but "lousy" at truly understanding what the average American needs. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Justice’s frustration came as Congress was readying to leave Washington, D.C., until the new year. Lawmakers had failed to tackle one last remaining issue after scores of legislative victories in the upper chamber: extending, or replacing, expiring Obamacare premium subsidies.
Those tax credits are set to lapse Wednesday, and tens of millions of Americans will see their out-of-pocket costs for healthcare double, triple and in some cases skyrocket by more than 300%.
Justice said that, as governor, there was understanding the credits would expire, given that Democrats under former President Joe Biden both enhanced the subsidies and set an expiration date for the end of the year.
REPUBLICANS CONSIDER USING RECONCILIATION AGAIN AFTER TRUMP'S BIGGEST LEGISLATIVE WIN
Both Republicans' and Democrats' Obamacare fixes went down in flames, but lawmakers are hoping for a solution in the aftermath. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has pinned the impending crisis on the GOP, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., hoped that enough Democrats would join Republicans on reforms. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images ; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
