US President Donald Trump doubled down on Sunday (Monday AEST) on his push to gut Obamacare healthcare subsidies, which his Democratic opponents have insisted on preserving as a condition for ending the 40-day government shutdown.
Trump on Saturday urged Republican senators to take federal money used to subsidise health insurance bought on affordable care act marketplaces, and instead send payments to individuals buying coverage.
The federal government has been shut down since October 1, making it the longest federal shutdown ever, because of a congressional impasse over healthcare.
The ACA subsidies, which helped double Obamacare enrollment to 24 million since they were put in place in 2021, are at the heart of the shutdown. Democrats want to extend them before reopening the government, while Republicans say they are open to addressing the issue only after government funding is restored.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Sunday to blast the subsidies as a “windfall for Health Insurance Companies, and a DISASTER for the American people,” while repeating his call for funds to be sent directly to individuals to buy coverage on their own. “I stand ready to work with both Parties to solve this problem once the Government is open,” Trump wrote.
This weekend’s posts from Trump came as senators were deep in talks over ways to end the shutdown. But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said in separate interviews that Trump’s healthcare idea will not be introduced before lawmakers pass a federal funding measure.
“We’re not proposing it to the Senate right now,” Bessent said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week,” referring to Trump’s proposed direct payments. “We are not going to negotiate with the Democrats until they reopen the government.”
Read more on Australian Financial Review
