President Donald Trump announced late on Friday, Oct. 2, that he will send "nearly $100" to 20 million seniors across the country in his latest effort to promise Americans cash.
To be exact, it's $90 to each of the seniors.
"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."
It’s unclear whether the White House has the authority to divert the cash as Trump says. USA TODAY has reached
out to the administration for information.
The promised checks are the president’s latest move to offer Americans money ahead of the upcoming midterms. Trump is not on the ballot but Republicans are expected to face a tough fight from Democrats amid angst over the negative impact Trump’s war on Iran has had on household finances.
Trump, in his announcement Friday, repeated another one of his cash promises tied to the midterms: $5,000 to every U.S. adult "if, and when, the Republicans win."
Critics say the $5,000 amounts to nothing more than a bribe.
According to a USA TODAY review of promises Trump has made about giving Americans cash, the president has a mixed record.
Around 1.45 million U.S. servicemembers received his $1,776 "warrior dividend" checks. However, Americans did not receive supposed $2,000 tariff dividend checks nor checks resulting from Department of Government Efficiency savings. The DOGE savings checks were estimated to be as high as $5,000.
The $100 check announcement comes days after White House officials said they would begin $500 checks to nearly $1 million Americans his administration says were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange for buying health insurance.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump promises 'nearly $100' to 20M seniors in latest cash giveaway
