Trump Floats New Health Care Plan to End Shutdown: “Send the Money to the People”
President Donald Trump proposed an unexpected solution to the ongoing government shutdown, suggesting that billions of federal dollars currently earmarked for insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act be sent directly to Americans instead.
“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,” he wrote Saturday on Truth Social, offering no further details on how such a plan would be implemented.
The president’s proposal came as the shutdown entered its longest stretch in U.S. history, with Congress deadlocked over how to move forward. Just a day earlier, Senate Republicans rejected a compromise offered by Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that would have reopened the government while extending Affordable Care Act subsidies for another year.
That Democratic plan would have kept federal ACA subsidies intact until at least the end of next year but dropped the party’s push for a longer-term renewal of Obamacare tax credits. Those subsidies—used by more than 20 million Americans—are set to expire at the end of December if no agreement is reached.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune dismissed the Democrats’ offer on Friday, calling it a “non-starter.” Neither Schumer nor Thune’s offices responded to requests for comment on Trump’s counterproposal. The White House also did not immediately provide clarification on how the president’s plan to redirect ACA funds would function.
The impasse in Congress has centered around health care funding, with Democrats insisting that a short-term funding bill include the expiring subsidies, while Republicans argue that the government must first reopen before additional policy issues are addressed. Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also did not immediately comment on the latest developments.
In a series of additional Truth Social posts, Trump renewed his push for Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation. With Republicans holding 53 seats and Democrats controlling 45, along with two independents who caucus with them, changing the rule would allow the GOP to pass bills with a simple majority.
“The Democrats are cracking like dogs on the Shutdown because they are deathly afraid that I am making progress with the Republicans on TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER! Whether we make a Deal or not, THE REPUBLICANS MUST ‘BLOW UP’ THE FILIBUSTER,” Trump wrote, claiming momentum within his party to adopt what he has described as the “Nuclear Option.”
Senate Republicans have largely resisted such a move, reiterating earlier in the week that they would not support changing the chamber’s long-standing procedural rule. Still, Trump insisted that he is “making progress” with members of his party on the issue—signaling he views both the shutdown and the filibuster battle as linked opportunities to reshape Washington’s balance of power.
{Matzav.com}
