President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Senate Republicans to scrap the Affordable Care Act and send federal dollars that now support the law directly to Americans, intensifying a shutdown fight centered on expiring ACA subsidies during what has become the longest U.S. government shutdown on record.
On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Senate Republicans should replace Obamacare, which he called “the worst Healthcare anywhere in the World,” by redirecting “the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies” directly to Americans so they can “PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE, and have money left over.” He added: “In other words, 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 closed the post with an aside: “Unrelated, we must still terminate the Filibuster!” (trumpstruth.org)
The comments echo a Truth Social post from last month in which Trump wrote, “As I have said for years, OBAMACARE IS A DISASTER! Rates are going through the roof for really bad healthcare!!! Do something Democrats!!!” (trumpstruth.org)
Trump’s push comes amid a federal shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, and, as of this week, has surpassed the 2018–2019 lapse to become the longest in U.S. history. The standoff has centered on whether to extend enhanced ACA subsidies set to expire at year’s end. (abcnews.go.com)
Senate Democrats have blocked more than a dozen Senate votes on a House-passed stopgap measure that does not include an extension of the subsidies, arguing the aid is necessary to prevent steep premium hikes. Republicans say funding the government should come first and policy disputes should follow. (upi.com)
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has accused Democrats of seeking to use taxpayer money to fund health care for people in the country illegally—an assertion Democrats and independent fact-checkers dispute under current federal eligibility rules. In a televised interview, Johnson said Democrats’ proposals would “return… taxpayer funds to pay for illegal aliens,” while PolitiFact assessed similar claims as false, noting undocumented immigrants remain ineligible for ACA plans, subsidies, Medicare and Medicaid. (cbsnews.com)
Democrats frame the fight as protecting health care. After Democrats notched electoral wins last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said: “I think that one of the reasons of many that the Democrats had so much success is an appreciation that Democrats are trying to protect health care for the American people.” (cbsnews.com)
Trump’s proposal drew quick support from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who said on X on Nov. 8 that he is drafting legislation to route funds “directly to Americans in HSA-style accounts” so they can buy the coverage they want. Scott wrote, “I’m writing the bill right now,” aligning with Trump’s call to shift money from insurers to individuals. (dailywire.com)
