WASHINGTON, D.C. (CAPITOL HILL) — Sen. Mark Kelly says cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies and tax breaks for the wealthy are driving up health care costs — “The health care costs are going from hundreds of dollars a month to thousands of dollars a month,” says Kelly.
In a conversation today on Capitol Hill, Scripps Media spoke with Kelly, who sharply criticized recent White House policy decisions he says are worsening health care affordability for millions of Americans, warning that constituents are facing dramatic premium increases and that political choices are to blame.
“The health care costs are going from hundreds of dollars a month to thousands of dollars a month, and they can't afford it,” Kelly said, describing calls he’s taken from Arizonans who are suddenly confronting crippling bills. “This president said he was gonna help people. He's not helping people, you know, he's just making it, making it worse for the average American.”
Kelly framed the squeeze on families as directly tied to tax policy, arguing that recent tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans have been funded in part by rolling back Affordable Care Act subsidies. “The president… felt the need to give a big giant tax cut to the wealthiest Americans, and that's partially paid for by taking away these ACA subsidies,” he said.
The Arizona Democrat said Senate negotiators are still pushing to find common ground on health policy, including disputes tied to the Hyde Amendment. “A lot of my Republican colleagues are, you know, dug in on that, but we're going to keep working on it,” Kelly said. “And if it takes us all the way through… 2026 or beyond, we're going to fix this, because it is not fair to the American people that they're losing their healthcare coverage so a bunch of billionaires can get a tax cut.”
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Kelly also warned that other White House priorities and national security distractions are stealing Senate time that could be spent on legislation to ease household costs. Discussing recent administration actions related to Venezuela, he said such matters “occupy time and effort… when we could be focused on other things” like lowering rent and grocery bills and stemming health care losses.
"...[Pete Hegseth] can continue with this kind of ****, or he can go take a hike."
The senator — a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence committees and a Navy veteran — briefly addressed a separate recent controversy involving a censure letter he received from the Defense Department that threatens to record a demotion in his file.
Hegseth’s letter is a formal censure that opens an administrative “retirement grade determination” against Sen. Mark Kelly. It says Kelly’s public remarks (including a video urging service members not to follow unlawful orders, plus other criticisms of Pentagon firings) were “conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline,” warns that the censure will be placed in his official military personnel file and could lead to demotion and reduced retirement pay, and notes the possibility of criminal prosecution or further administrative action. Hegseth framed it as a necessary process step and set a short timeline for the proceeding; media reports say the decision window is about 45 days.
Kelly described the letter as an attempt to silence critics but said the dispute will not change his policy focus. “This letter… is in no way going to affect the way I do my job and represent my constituents in the United States Senate,” he said. "What Secretary Hegseth did in sending this letter is an erosion of every U.S. citizen's First Amendment rights," Kelly added. "I think Hegseth is a uniquely unqualified individual for this job...he is not qualified to be Secretary of Defense."
As a member of the Armed Services committee, Kelly says "I voted for those admirals and generals to have those jobs, and Pete Hegseth fired those people, in my view, because of the color of their skin and their gender. That's a horrible thing to do and a horrible message to people out there - that you have to look a certain way to serve this country at the highest level. I was critical of them in my role as a member of the committee, and they didn't like it. That's one of the reasons they have censured me."
Kelly said he is working with attorneys on a response and expects to speak publicly in the coming days. Meanwhile, he and other lawmakers are preparing for negotiations and votes in the Senate as they weigh options to shore up coverage and blunt the impact of rising premiums on voters.
