Trump proposes ending Obamacare and redirecting funds 'directly to the people'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump reignited his long-running war on the Affordable Care Act on Saturday morning, November 8, by unveiling a plan on Truth Social to “terminate” Obamacare and redirect its subsidies directly to American consumers.

The outburst came as his administration faces intensifying criticism over the government shutdown, with Obamacare extension being one of the major bones of contention between the Democrats and Republicans. 

Also, due to the shutdown, millions of Americans are bracing for the suspension of federal food assistance programs, while air travelers are reportedly beginning to experience widespread delays due to staffing shortages at airports.

Trump revives Obamacare fight amid growing shutdown fallout

“Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money-sucking Insurance Companies … BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE,” Trump wrote, capitalizing entire phrases for emphasis.

“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,” Trump added, “Unrelated, we must still terminate the Filibuster!”

While the president claimed his proposal would give Americans the freedom to “purchase their own, much better healthcare,” he offered no details on how consumers could do so without relying on private insurers.

Shutdown pressure mounts as Democrats press for SNAP payments

The president’s early-morning post came as his administration secured a temporary win at the Supreme Court, which late Friday allowed it to withhold about $4 billion in food assistance payments to millions of Americans, citing complications from the ongoing government shutdown.

The Agriculture Department has warned that without immediate funding, benefits will lapse, deepening the hardship for low-income households. Meanwhile, the shutdown has led to significant disruptions in air travel.

The Federal Aviation Administration has acknowledged a reduction in flights due to furloughed staff and limited operations, leading to delays at major airports from New York to Los Angeles.

Trump pushes senate GOP to ‘terminate the filibuster’

Alongside his healthcare proposal, Trump again urged Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster- the Senate rule requiring 60 votes to advance most legislation.

“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 another Truth Social post, repeating the line minutes later in another post.

Trump, on Wednesday, during a breakfast with Senate Republicans, had asked to eliminate the legislative filibuster, warning that failure to act would leave the party powerless to advance its agenda.

Speaking at the White House, Trump bluntly said that the 60-vote requirement to move legislation forward must end if the GOP hopes to govern effectively during his second term.

“It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that’s terminate the filibuster,” Trump told lawmakers.

“If you don’t terminate the filibuster, you’ll be in bad shape,” he added.