President Donald Trump unleashed a flurry of attacks on Saturday against Democrats, health insurers, and his own party leadership as the government shutdown stretches into its second week.
Weighing in on the escalating debate over skyrocketing health care premiums, with Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits set to expire soon, Trump suggested a radical fix: divert the money currently going to insurance companies directly to consumers.
“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 Truth Social.
He doubled down on the attack against insurers, blasting the ACA itself. “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,” he continued, while again urging Republicans to “terminate” filibuster rules in the Senate.
Trump also framed the current deadlock as a victory for Democrats, claiming they are deliberately harming the economy. “The Democrats are winning in that they are destroying our great, miracle economy, which is exactly what they set out to do. TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!” he wrote in a separate post.
He pinned blame for GOP losses in recent elections on party leaders’ refusal to scrap the filibuster. “The Democrats will do this, so if the Democrats are going to do it, I’m saying Republicans should do it before they get a chance,” Trump told reporters Friday. “If we do it, we will never lose the midterms, and we will never lose a general election, because we will have produced so many different things for our people, for the country, that it would be impossible to lose an election.”
The timing of Trump’s remarks comes as open enrollment for ACA plans began earlier this month without the subsidies that made insurance affordable for many lower-income families. Republicans continue to criticize the ACA for these shortfalls and have floated alternative health proposals.
In the Senate, attempts to pass a House-approved continuing resolution (CR) have failed 14 times, with Democrats pushing GOP lawmakers to act before subsidies vanish. Under the filibuster, legislation requires 60 votes to pass, leaving the chamber at an impasse.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) unveiled a plan Friday to end the shutdown, proposing a one-year extension of enhanced ACA tax credits, a short-term CR, and a three-bill minibus of full-year spending measures.
“Democrats have said we must address the health care crisis, but Republicans have repeatedly said they won’t negotiate to lower the health care costs until the government reopens,” Schumer said. “So, let’s find a path to honor both positions.”
Republicans immediately pushed back. With little progress from either side, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) announced lawmakers would stay in Washington over the weekend, though he admitted the next vote remains uncertain. Thune is also considering an extended CR that could push the funding deadline into January.
As the shutdown stretches on, Trump’s combative messaging underscores the party’s internal tensions and highlights the escalating clash over health care, the filibuster, and who ultimately bears the cost of political inaction.
