U.S. Representative Diana DeGette, who has represented Colorado’s 1st district in Congress since 1997, posted a series of tweets on December 16 and 17, 2025, regarding efforts to force a vote on an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
On December 16, DeGette wrote, “We could force a vote on an ACA extension if four Republicans found the will to sign Leader Jeffries’ discharge petition.” The following day, she continued to update her followers on the progress: “3 to go.” and later added “2 more.”
The discharge petition referenced by DeGette is a procedural tool in the U.S. House of Representatives that allows members to bring a bill out of committee and onto the floor for a vote if it receives signatures from a majority of House members. In this case, DeGette indicated that only two additional Republican signatures were needed at one point for the ACA extension vote to proceed.
DeGette has been serving as Colorado’s 1st District representative since succeeding Pat Schroeder in 1997. Before her tenure in Congress, she served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997. Born in Tachikawa, Japan in 1957 and currently residing in Denver, DeGette holds degrees from Colorado College and New York University School of Law.
