WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley sharply criticized Republican and Democratic House leaders Friday as Congress ended its 2025 session.

The California Republican was stymied in his effort to move a plan that would have continued enhanced health care subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace consumers beyond the December 31 expiration date.

A bipartisan extension effort didn’t get a floor vote this week when GOP leaders offered an alternative plan. The House passed that proposal on a largely party-line vote, but it’s expected to stall in the Senate.

A vote on a three-year subsidy extension, supported mostly by Democrats, is expected when the House returns next month. Kiley has been pushing for one- or two-year extensions with reforms.

Kiley is regarded as vulnerable in next year’s election thanks to Proposition 50’s carving up his district to make it more Democratic-friendly. He said at a news conference Friday there has been a “failure of leadership on both sides.”

He called the lapse in the health premium credits “incredibly disappointing to me. It’s a failure of leadership. It’s unacceptable. The American people have been let down.”

Premiums for California residents using the ACA plans are expected on average to nearly double after January 1.

‘We need better leadership’

Kiley was critical of what he called the “overall direction of the House, particularly in recent months. I have been very clear — we need to see better leadership on the part of the speaker.”

Kiley got some of his major initiatives passed earlier this year, notably legislation to put strong limits on California’s ability to set tougher standards for vehicle emissions.

He became more critical during this fall’s 43-day government shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., refused to hold House votes during that period, saying the House had voted on funding the government, so there was no need to act until the Senate did.

Kiley worked in Washington for part of that time, unlike many of his colleagues.

“These are days in which we have important work to do, separate and apart from the shutdown,” Kiley said at the time. “All of that has been either canceled or postponed.”

But, he said Friday, he did not want a change in the House Republican leadership, saying it would be a “pretty extreme remedy” that would paralyze the House.

“I haven’t seen that as a good solution. Instead, I’ve encouraged the speaker to take a different approach, where the House is leading and not just responding.”

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