President Donald Trump made a stunning announcement Saturday in recommending that Congress sign off on a multibillion dollar payout directly to Americans as an alternative to funding government health care subsidies that have divided lawmakers amid the ongoing government shutdown.
“I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE, and have money left over,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Now on its 39th day, the government shutdown was sparked over disagreements over whether or not to fund an extension for Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire on Jan. 1, 2026, resulting in an estimated 4 million people losing health insurance and premiums increasing by 114% for Obamacare enrollees.
The shutdown has resulted in a lapse in food assistance payments for 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, and significant disruptions to air travel as air traffic controllers continue to work without pay, among other things.
And, while some experts have anticipated Trump caving to Democrats’ demands out of fear of political backlash, Trump’s new proposal would see Obamacare gutted entirely, and instead, send the hundreds of billions of dollars directly to Americans.
“In other words, take from the BIG, BAD Insurance Companies, give it to the people, and terminate, per Dollar spent, the worst Healthcare anywhere in the World, ObamaCare,” Trump wrote. “Unrelated, we must still terminate the Filibuster!”
There are around 260 million adults in the United States as of 2024 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and, with spending for Obamacare subsidies alone topping out at around $125 billion that same year, Trump’s proposal could see Americans each receive a check for at least $481. If Trump’s proposal included all of the government’s spending on health care, which in 2023 was about $1.6 trillion, Americans could each receive a check for about $6,150.