Democratic lawmakers’ ongoing quest to expand Medicaid in Tennessee likely came to an end this week, at least for the year.

Despite opposition from legislative leadership and new Republican Gov. Bill Lee, members of the minority party filed several bills that would have allowed Lee to negotiate Medicaid expansion with the federal government.

A House subcommittee killed one proposal, from Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), on Wednesday. She called her plan the “Mike Pence Medicaid Act of 2019,” in reference to the expansion of Medicaid under then-Indiana Gov. Pence. Republicans were not amused.

“If we want to score political points, there’s a press conference room down the hall that everyone can use,” said Rep. Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough), chairman of the House TennCare Subcommittee.

Hill also pressed Johnson on her request that the committee “be like Mike.” Indiana’s expansion, Hill said, featured copays, work requirements and monthly fees, but Johnson did not support those provisions in a potential expansion.

Rep. Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) withdrew his similar expansion proposal this week in order to back Johnson’s. Rep. Jason Hodges (D-Clarksville) pushed his expansion bill off until next year, and Stewart said the caucus would prepare to get behind that proposal moving forward.

“We’re going to have to keep pushing this issue until economic realities make it impossible for Republicans in the legislature to continue to block this sensible policy,” Stewart said. “It’s a matter of time.”

Stewart also suggested that, were Lee to back an expansion proposal, it could easily pass.

Former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam hoped to expand Medicaid, like Pence, in the state following the passage of the Affordable Care Act. But he came up against opposition from his fellow Republicans in the legislature. During last year’s gubernatorial campaign, Lee repeatedly said he did not support expansion, a key cleavage between him and his Democratic opponent, Karl Dean.