Donald Trump announces $90 payment for more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare

Donald Trump announced this Friday evening on his Truth Social network that the American government would pay $90 to more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, the health insurance program for the elderly. He offers to help them offset the cost of their monthly insurance contributions.

The US president indicated that these payments would come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, to which he said Congress had allocated $2 billion. The announcement is part of a series of financial promises made by the Republican leader to voters ahead of the November midterm elections, in which control of Congress will be at stake.

Slight majority of the Republican Party in the Senate and the House

The Republican Party currently holds a narrow majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but its popularity rating is low, in particular because of the rise in oil and gas prices linked to the war in the Middle East. The White House posted details of Trump's plan on its website, saying most eligible seniors would receive the payment in the form of a $90 direct deposit in early October. People not benefiting from direct deposit will receive a check, also sent in early October, to the mailing address registered with Medicare, the White House said.

Last month, Donald Trump proposed sending $5,000 checks to all adult citizens if Republicans retained control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, a proposal greeted with skepticism by analysts, economists and even some congressional Republicans. Separately, the Trump administration is also paying $500 to nearly a million Americans, a move that strategists say could potentially influence some election races. The White House says the payments are reimbursement for what it says were excessive fees charged to people who purchased health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.