Trump's $90 payments are en route to 20 million seniors
Trump's $90 payments are en route to 20 million seniors
Joey Garrison, USA TODAYThu, October 8, 2026 at 8:19 PM UTC
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WASHINGTON – Nearly 21 million American seniors have an extra $90 in their bank accounts ‒ or coming their way ‒ in President Donald Trump's latest giveaway of government funds before the midterm election.
The Trump administration on Oct. 8 issued about 20 million direct deposits of $90 and sent 875,000 traditional checks of the same amount to mailboxes, a White House official confirmed to USA TODAY, after Trump announced the payments last week.
Emails with the subject line "A message from President Trump" hit the inboxes of recipients alerting them to the money, which Trump is financing by diverting government revenue from the $2 billion Medicare Improvement Fund. Congress established the fund in 2008 as a vehicle to improve Medicare services.
"I believe the best way to do that is to put healthcare dollars back where they belong – directly in the hands of the American People," Trump says in the email, which was obtained by USA TODAY. "As a result, you are receiving a One-Time Payment of $90 to offset some of the cost of your October Medicare premium. This will ensure these funds benefit YOU and your individual healthcare needs."
More: Trump to begin sending $500 ACA refund checks to 1 million Americans
Trump has turned to sending cash directly to Americans less than a month before the Nov. 3 election, as voters' anxieties over high costs and affordability pose major midterm liabilities for Trump and Republicans as they attempt to hold onto power in Congress.
In addition to the $90 checks for seniors, the Trump administration last week started sending $500 checks to nearly 1 million Americans across 30 states. The Trump administration says recipients were overcharged via fees through the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange for buying health insurance. Trump has also promised to send $5,000 dividend checks to all American adults if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterms.
Trump's Democratic critics called the money for seniors an election stunt.
"This is another desperate attempt by a failed president to escape Americans’ revulsion with his failed agenda, amounting to one tank of Trump-inflated gas," said Democratic Sen. Roy Wyden of Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.
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Less than a third of the nation's 70 million Medicare enrollees are receiving $90 payments. The money is going only to seniors enrolled in Medicare B, which provides health insurance for outpatient medical care and doctor visits.
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.
Seniors receiving checks in some of the closely contested Senate battleground states include 539,000 in Michigan; 644,000 in North Carolina; 568,000 in Georgia; 327,000 in Iowa; 748,000 in Ohio; 88,000 in Maine; and 293,000 in Kansas.
More: See where Trump's $90 checks to 20 million seniors are going
More than 1.52 million seniors in California are set to receive checks, the most among all states, followed by Texas (1.43 million); Florida (1.40 million); New York (1.02 million); and Pennsylvania (905,000). Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota and South Dakota are each in line to receive fewer than 100,000 checks apiece for seniors.
Trump, in his email to seniors, also touted his administration's efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs through most-favored-nation pricing agreements with drug companies. He also pointed to $50 billion in funds in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last year that included $50 billion for health care in rural communities.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's $90 payments are en route to 20 million seniors
Source: “AOL Breaking”
