Zach Nunn backs extending ACA tax credits two weeks after bashing them

US Rep. Zach Nunn’s position on expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits has been all over the place in recent weeks.

Nunn, the Republican congressman from Iowa’s Third District, signed on to co-sponsor a bipartisan bill to protect Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits for the next two years—a timeframe that conveniently includes his 2026 reelection bid in what is expected to be one of the country’s tightest congressional races.

The “Fix It Act” would extend ACA tax credits that were set to expire on Dec. 31 until Jan. 1, 2028, but would also implement income caps and new anti-fraud measures.

“Iowans deserve affordable health care coverage, but we can’t keep asking taxpayers to bankroll a broken system,” Nunn told the Des Moines Register in a statement. “This bill offers a commonsense bridge by protecting working Iowans from premium spikes while holding insurers accountable and cracking down on fraud. It’s the kind of bipartisan fix we need for short-term stability so that we can negotiate long-term reform.”

Nunn is seeking his third term in Congress representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes the Des Moines metro. Recent polling shows him trailing two of his Democratic opponents, Jennifer Konfrst and Sarah Trone Garriott.

The ACA has always included tax credits for its lowest-income enrollees, but those credits were enhanced and made more generous during the Biden administration, an effort that lowered enrollees’ costs and made more people eligible for subsidies. It’s those enhanced tax credits that are set to expire in a matter of weeks.

“The recent growth in ACA Marketplace plan enrollment has been driven primarily by low-income people, with signups by people with incomes up to 2.5 times poverty growing 115% since 2020,” according to KFF.

KFF also reports that “enhanced subsidies have cut premium payments by an estimated 44% ($705 annually) for enrollees receiving premium tax credits. If the subsidies expire, most Marketplace enrollees will see premium payment increase substantially.”

In Iowa alone, enrollment in the ACA has nearly tripled over the last five years. In 2020, 54,586 Iowans were enrolled in ACA plans and by 2025, almost 137,000 Iowans were enrolled in the ACA, according to KFF.

KFF estimates that more than 26,000 Iowans will lose their coverage if the enhanced tax credits expire.

In the past, Nunn has been noncommittal on supporting the ACA, and changed his stance on the tax credits several times in November alone.

During a Nov. 12 interview on Newsmax in the thick of the federal government shutdown that began over Republicans’ refusal to extend these credits, Nunn agreed with “Wake Up America” host Marc Lotter, who wanted to let the credits expire.

“Congressman, these were COVID-era tax credits that gave people who made more than half a million dollars taxpayer handouts for health care. I have no problem letting those expire,” Lotter said.

“Mark, you nailed it,” Nunn said. “For most of this, this is a COVID-era subsidy that has been driving up the health-care costs for everybody, both those on the ACA and the rest of us, by double digits. It didn’t have to be like this.”

However, six days later, Nunn told the Des Moines Register he supports a one-year extension on tax credits. Then on Nov. 25—less than two weeks after his Newsmax interview—Nunn signed on as co-sponsor of the “Fix It Act.”

In a statement, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) attacked Nunn for his ever-evolving position on the ACA and related tax credits.

“After trying to destroy it for years, Zach Nunn is waking up to the reality that his opposition to the Affordable Care Act will cost him his job next year,” said DCCC Spokesperson Katie Smith.

“No amount of phony rhetoric or lies will change that. The DCCC will not let so-called Republican moderates like Nunn trick voters after refusing to do a single thing to address the health care crisis they created.”