The worst of Washington politics is in plain sight as Republicans and Democrats fight over Obamacare subsidies that expire at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

It cannot be said too forcefully that the subsidies are extra money Congress heaped on top of permanent subsidies to meet the COVID emergency.

This was perhaps appropriate when the economic hardship of COVID was a real concern. But it was hard to stomach more redistribution from taxpayer pockets when the “emergency” subsidies were renewed in 2022. At that time, everyone knew the danger was over. Even then-President Joe Biden, the last holdout, finally admitted it a few months later.

So the subsidies long ago abandoned their raison d’être and have been unjustifiable for years. And even if one sets that aside, it needs to be remembered by all that the Democrats demanding they be renewed are the same people who put them in........

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