Trump Signals Potential Shift, Says Extending ACA Subsidies ‘May Be Necessary’
WASHINGTON – In a surprising โprogress, former President Donald โTrump indicated Monday he โmay โbe โฃopen to extending Affordable care Act (ACA) subsidies, a policy he has long opposed, to avoid significant premium increases for millions of Americans.The potential โshift comes as the expiration of the subsidies at the end of the year threatens to dramatically raise healthcare costs and โcreate a political headache for Republicans ahead of the 2026 โฃmidterm โฃelections.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Nov. โข25 that Trump is actively formulating recommendations for healthcare improvements. However,she clarified that a simple two-yearโข extension ofโข the ACA โsubsidies -โ the focal โpoint of โthe recent government shutdownโค – is not currently under consideration.
“The President is having ongoing conversations with members of his administration, membersโข ofโค Congress, and private sector experts,” Leavitt added. “He will make recommendations for โขhealthcare policy improvements inโค the near future.”
Despite this, Trump reiteratedโ his preference for โa different approach, stating โNov.25 that he would rather provide โfinancial assistance “to the people directly, let โขthem go โout and buy theirโฃ own health care plan.”
The White House’s โขengagementโข with healthcare policy arrives as health insurance premiums are projected toโ surge โขifโค the subsidies are not extended. โฃAccording โฃto the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), approximately 22 million Americansโ receiving ACA tax credits could seeโ their monthly premium payments more than double, averaging anโ additional $1,016 per year in โ2026, if the subsidies lapse.
The issue fueled a recent record-breaking government shutdown, with โฃDemocrats demanding an extensionโค as a condition for โขfunding legislation. Republicans ultimately rejected that demand, passing aโ funding bill without extending the subsidies, leaving โthe issueโ unresolved.
Republican lawmakers remain divided on the best course of โaction, with some conservatives advocating for allowing the subsidies to expireโฃ while moderates support โan extension.
Trump has โฃconsistently vowed to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, โtheโ landmark law enacted under former President Barack Obama. Trumpโ advisors and some Senate Republicans haveโฃ previously suggested utilizing health โsavings accounts as anโฃ choice to the current โsubsidy system.
Note: This version maintains all verifiable facts from the โคoriginal text, corrects minor typos, โขand presents the facts in a โขbreaking-news style lead. It focusesโ onโ the potential โshift in Trump’s stance,as indicated by the headline and openingโ paragraphs,while still accurately representing his previous statements andโ the broader political context. The article alsoโข preserves allโ linksโ and โattributions.
