President Donald Trump is promising more payments to voters just ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections — this time, to more than 20 million seniors, giving them $90 each to help pay for Medicare premiums.
The announcement, made late Friday night by Trump on social media, comes after the president last month said about 1 million people would get rebate checks of $500 for Affordable Care Act premiums. He has also promised on the campaign trail to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
That pledge — which would require approval from Congress — would likely cost more than $1 trillion, adding to the deficit and worsening inflation.
Polls show Americans increasingly blame Trump for the high cost of gasoline and groceries with just 17% approving of his handling of inflation. Trump has sought to shrug off concerns about affordability, saying the economy is booming.
The White House said the $90 payments for seniors will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, established by Congress in 2008 as flexible funding to improve program operations and payments to health care providers.
Medicare Part B enrollees can expect to receive a one-time payment in October, either through direct deposit or by check, the White House said. Total monthly costs for the program — which covers costs like doctor's visits, ambulance services and lab tests — start around $200 and vary with income.
To be eligible, seniors must be living in the U.S. and not be already receiving premium assistance from Medicaid or paying adjusted monthly premiums based on income, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage, a private plan alternative to traditional Medicare coverage, are not eligible for the payment. More than half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries have Medicare Advantage, according to healthcare research nonprofit KFF.
Previous administrations have not used the Medicare Improvement Fund in this way, although Congress has periodically taken out money from the fund to pay for other priorities, said Larry Levitt, KFF's executive vice president for health policy. For example, $20.74 billion was used for the creation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
“The Medicare Improvement Fund language is quite broad and gives substantial discretion to the administration,” Levitt said.
President Donald Trump gestures to reporters as he walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Serbia's populist leader, Aleksandar Vucic, packed the largest indoor arena in Belgrade on Saturday for the de facto launch of his campaign for prime minister that will culminate in a pivotal election set for Oct. 25.
The early election, which polls suggest could be tight between Vucic's party and a group of candidates fielded by a student-led protest movement, was called before Vucic resigned as president on Sept. 27, cutting short his second term by more than seven months.
Vucic, who is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term as president, declared upon resigning that he would lead his populist Serbian Progressive Party in the parliamentary election. If his party wins a majority of seats, the parliament is expected to elect Vucic as prime minister.
Dozens of buses from across Serbia clogged streets around Belgrade Arena on Saturday as supporters arrived at the rally in the capital carrying Serbian flags and banners bearing Vucic’s picture.
The event, televised by dozens of channels across Serbia, capped a week of Vucic touring towns and villages in an apparent bid to shore up his popularity that's been shaken after almost two years of sustained anti-government protests.
The youth-backed movement that led the protests has demanded accountability for the Nov. 1, 2024 train station canopy collapse that killed 16 people in the northern city of Novi Sad.
The movement's struggle for justice over the tragedy and against corruption has grown into a nationwide political force whose electoral arm, the Student List, will attempt to oust Vucic’s government after 14 years in power.
Vucic himself has been either prime minister or president for the past 12 years.
The Student List includes university professors, teachers, experts and others from across the political spectrum. Yet Vucic has accused those behind the movement of seeking to “bring Serbia to a halt,” and claimed, without providing evidence, that it's backed by unspecified foreign agents.
On Saturday, Vucic told his supporters: “Absent an intervention of some (foreign intelligence) service, we will defeat them. And they know that.”
The election is taking place amid heightened political tensions in Serbia, with reports of incidents and physical altercations at campaign events. International observers have described previous elections in Serbia as marred by multiple irregularities and violence.
While formally a candidate for European Union membership, Serbia’s accession process has stalled under Vucic, who maintains close ties with Russia and China.
European institutions have warned of democratic backsliding in Serbia in successive reports tracking the progress of candidate countries. Rights and media freedom groups have separately warned of police violence, arbitrary detentions, unauthorized surveillance and threats against journalists.
This story has been corrected to show that the election was called before Vucic resigned, not after.
Supporters of Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic cheer during rally for the de-facto launch of his campaign for prime minister that will culminate in a pivotal election set for Oct. 25 in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo)
Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic speaks during a rally for the de-facto launch of his campaign for prime minister that will culminate in a pivotal election set for Oct. 25 in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo)
