President Donald Trump has announced plans to send $90 payments to about 20 million seniors nationwide.
Late on Friday, Oct. 2, Trump announced plans to give $90 to a limited number of seniors in each state.
"My Administration will, immediately, begin sending 'Checks' of nearly $100 to over 20 MILLION wonderful Seniors to help pay for their Medicare Part B premiums," the president said in the late-night announcement on his social media website Truth Social. "This money will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, a pointless 'Slush Fund' that has only been used by Dumocrats in Congress to pay for the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse."
The one-time payments are headed to about 20 million Medicare Part B enrollees nationwide, according to a White House breakdown
reviewed by USA TODAY. The most populous states will receive the largest number of payments.
Individuals whose health care premiums are already paid by Medicaid or who pay an income-related monthly adjustment amount do not qualify for the $90, the White House said.
Here is how many residents in Tennessee could receive a check.
How many seniors in Tennessee could receive money?
As these checks will only go to residents enrolled in Medicare Part B, a small portion of Tennessee's 1.37 million senior residents will receive any money. Tennessee is set to have around 491,000 senior residents receive a $90 check from the administration in early October.
Because the payments will only go to residents enrolled in Medicare Part B, fewer than half of Tennessee's 1.37 million residents age 65 and older would receive money. Tennessee is expected to have about 491,000 residents receive a $90 payment from the administration in early October.
Here's how many Tennessee residents will receive a check compared to the rest of the South:
- Texas: 1,432,000
- Florida: 1,398,000
- Virginia: 681,000
- North Carolina: 644,000
- Georgia: 568,000
- Maryland: 515,000
- South Carolina: 499,000
- Tennessee: 491,000
- Oklahoma: 332,000
- Kentucky: 306,000
- Alabama: 281,000
- Louisiana: 265,000
- Arkansas: 257,000
- Mississippi: 248,000
- West Virginia: 135,000
- Delaware: 120,000
How will the checks be paid for?
To fund the payments, the Trump administration is diverting money from the $2 billion Medicare Improvement Fund, which Congress created in 2008 to improve Medicare services. Trump called the fund a "pointless 'Slush Fund'" in a Truth Social post announcing the payments. The White House said the fund has never been used.
For most eligible seniors, the money will be sent by direct deposit in early October, the White House said. Seniors without direct deposit will receive a check at the address on file with Medicare.
Trump's desire to send money to Americans
Trump's latest payment program comes after his administration this week started sending $500 checks to nearly 1 million Americans in 30 states who the administration says were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act's federal health insurance exchange. The checks include a letter signed by Trump notifying recipients of the payment.
These are not the first times Trump has proposed sending money directly to Americans during his second term, but they are the only efforts that have resulted in payments so far.
Several pieces of legislation have been introduced to bring stimulus checks before Congress for approval, but none have been approved so far during Trump's second administration.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025 on July 28, 2025, which would provide at least $600 per adult and dependent child, or $2,400 for a family of four.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, introduced the "American Consumer Tariff Rebate Act of 2026" on March 9. The bill aims to allocate $231.35 billion for rebate payments to Americans, roughly the amount consumers are estimated to have paid in tariffs, according to the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Economic Committee.
Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., introduced the "Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act" to the Senate on March 12. According to CNBC, the rebate would pay $1,200 to joint filers making under $180,000 annually and $600 for each additional child.
Although no formal legislation was enacted, the idea of stimulus checks emerged early in the Trump administration's second term, funded by savings from budget cuts under the Department of Government Efficiency. The proposal, which echoes Trump's latest plan, was to give American taxpayers a $5,000 stimulus check from money saved under the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk.
Trump has also vowed to distribute $5,000 dividend payments to American adults if Republicans retain control of Congress in the November midterm elections, a proposal critics have characterized as an attempt to influence voters. Trump reaffirmed that pledge in a video posted Oct. 3.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal and Tennessee. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: See how many Tennesseans will get a $90 check from Trump
