WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said he is able to spread around money before the Nov. 3 election – $500 rebates for health care, $90 to seniors, with a promise for $5,000 more – because his economic policies are paying off rather than because he's trying to buy votes.
“We’re able to do things the Democrats can’t because they would have not been able to use tariffs so wisely like we did,” Trump told reporters Oct. 7 in the Oval Office while discussing $1,000 investment accounts the administration set up for newborn babies.
A reporter asked Trump about accusations he is throwing money at voters. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, has called the promise an alleged "bribe" for votes. But the president said payments such as his
promised $5,000 checks for every adult if Republicans keep control of Congress are a result of the growing economy.
“What we’re doing is we have tremendous growth,” Trump said
But economists have questioned whether the government could afford to send out $1.3 trillion from the combined $5,000 checks and warned that they could spur inflation.
Trump cited the success of tariffs to both raise money for the government and to force companies to relocate manufacturing to the United States, to avoid tariffs on importing cars or pharmaceuticals from overseas.
But tariffs have brought in an estimated $236 billion through Sept. 30, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
“Were going to be very, very self-sufficient very soon,” Trump said.
The $500 checks started going out Sept. 30 to nearly 1 million people in 30 states who Trump said were overcharged for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
More than 20 million enrollees in Medicare Part B, which covers doctor visits and medical equipment, are set to receive the $90 payments in the coming days.
While money for the two sets of health checks had accumulated in federal accounts, Congress traditionally oversees spending decisions.
Trump has argued he doesn’t need Congress to approve the $5,000 payments but also that they would be as easy to accomplish as sending $1,776 bonuses to members of the military last year. The military payments came out of a Pentagon housing fund Congress had approved.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says checks to voters are from economic growth, not to buy votes
