House Democrats said Thursday they would refuse to shrink any benefits to Medicare beneficiaries as a way to avert double-digit premium hikes next year, setting up a potential showdown with the GOP.

“Any conversation from Republicans trying to reduce benefits in order to cover premium increase would be a nonstarter for us,” Rep. Xavier Becerra Xavier BecerraState AGs condemn HUD rule allowing shelters to serve people on basis of biological sex OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump casts doubt on climate change science during briefing on wildfires | Biden attacks Trump's climate record amid Western wildfires, lays out his plan | 20 states sue EPA over methane emissions standards rollback 20 states sue EPA over methane emissions standards rollback MORE (Calif.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Thursday.

“It shouldn’t be one of those things where we’re focused to accept.”

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Becerra joined a half-dozen House Democrats on Thursday amplifying their call for Speaker John Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE (R-Ohio) to support their legislation, which would avert the 52 percent premium hikes set to hit 8 million Medicare Part B enrollees next year.

The caucus chairman also warned the government has no plan B to avoid double-digit premium hikes for millions of Medicare recipients if GOP leaders don’t act before 2016.

“I don’t believe the administration has the latitude or the tools to address this without legislative action by Congress,” Becerra said. “As a result, anything they’d try to do wouldn't be efficient to prevent the hike in premiums."

Striking a deal on Medicare Part B become a top issue for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who first brought it up with Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE in mid-September.

Boehner’s office said he would support the legislation but only if it was fully paid for.

When asked about how Congress could offset the approximately $7.5 billion effort, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said Thursday that she didn’t believe it should be an issue.

“Really? We’re going to argue about how we’re going to pay for that while we’re giving these tax cuts and there are all these tax breaks for oil? Schakowsky, co-chairwoman of the Seniors Task Force, said. “We should not have to have that conversation.”

Congress has only a handful of weeks to prevent the premium hikes — the largest in the program’s history. And with an important deadline already missed, aides of both parties say a deal between House leaders by year’s end is becoming less likely.