Trump says he’ll work with Democrats to ‘make Obamacare better’ but only after government reopens

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said he is willing to negotiate with Democrats to make Obamacare "better," but only after the government shutdown is resolved.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Asia on Friday, October 24, the commander-in-chief confirmed he is open to a meeting with the Democrats' top brass once he returns to the US.

"I would, I’d be willing to," Trump said just minutes after departing Joint Base Andrews, adding that the onus is on the Democrats to end the closure. "I would have now, too. I left, I said, 'Come on over, just put the government back.' All they have to do is say yes, then it’s over. And then we go into negotiations," he added.

The president and Democratic leaders last met in person days before the shutdown commenced, failing to reach an agreement. 

Obamacare stalemate and government shutdown

Health care policy remains the central point of contention for Democrats on Day 25 of the federal government shutdown. 

Trump declared the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has "been terrible," but he also admitted, "We can make it better. I'm all for that."

However, he firmly opposed a provision Democrats are apparently seeking. "They want to allow many, many people who came to our country illegally from prisons, from mental institutions, from all over the world. They want them to get paid, and that's going to hurt the citizens of this country, and I just can't do that," Trump insisted.

Senate Democrats have blocked a Republican-backed continuing resolution to fund the government twelve times. Democrats insist that any legislation to reopen the government must also extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies and reverse Medicaid cuts passed over the summer. 

Republicans have refused to include health care policy in shutdown talks, maintaining that subsidies should be debated by Congress after the government reopens.

The impending deadline is November 1, which marks the start of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act. If the subsidies are not renewed by then, the research organization KFF warns that healthcare.gov consumers could see premiums double for millions of Americans.

Anonymous $130 million donation for troops 

In an eyebrow-raising departure from standard government funding procedure, the Pentagon announced it accepted an anonymous $130 million donation from an ally of Donald Trump to ensure military members are paid during the shutdown. The funding of the military is typically handled solely through appropriations from Congress.

This move follows reports that Trump has also accepted private donations from large corporations and wealthy individuals toward the construction of a $300 billion ballroom on the White House grounds.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed on Friday that the department accepted the donation under its "general gift acceptance authority."

During White House remarks on Thursday, Trump said a "friend of mine" (whom he declined to identify at the time) called him to say, "I'd like to contribute any shortfall that you have because of the Democrat shutdown."

"And today he sent us a check for $130 million," the president added. The donor was later identified as billionaire Timothy Mellon.

While service members have worked through the shutdown since October 1, their paychecks are not guaranteed. The Defense Department altered its budget at the president's instruction to pay the 1.3 million active-duty troops on October 15, but their next paycheck on October 31 remains uncertain at the time of publication.