US Government Shutdown Enters โRecord Territoryโ as โTrump Proposes โฃDirect Payments toโข Citizens
WASHINGTON โ – The US government shutdown is now the longestโ in the nation’s history, stretching to 39 days, as Presidentโค Donald Trump proposes a novel solution to break โthe impasse: direct payments to American citizens, potentiallyโ mirroring a program like Indonesia’s Bantuanโฃ Langsungโ Tunai (BLT). Theโฃ move comes as Republicans aligned with the governance insist Congressโฃ promptly pass โfunding legislation without preconditions to reopen the government, before addressing othre policyโฃ disputes.
The ongoing shutdown has already had widespread consequences, leaving hundredsโฃ of thousands of federal workers without paychecks, disrupting โvitalโ foodโ assistance programs, and causing importantโข travel delays. Millions more Americans are feeling the ripple effects, and the stalemate shows no immediate signs of resolution. Trump’s โฃproposal, whileโข unconventional, aims to directly โคaddressโ the economic hardship caused by โฃthe shutdown and potentially build public pressure on โฃDemocrats to negotiate.
The President’s idea reportedly involves utilizing funds currently allocated to Affordable care Act (ACA) subsidies, redirecting them as โdirectโข payments to taxpayers. Senators James lankford of Oklahoma and Lindsey Graham of South โฃCarolina have publicly voiced support for the concept. Lankford argued โคthat ACA subsidies primarily benefit insurance companies ratherโ than individuals, stating they “pump moneyโข to insurance companies, not to the people to help,” and only assist “certain groups, not the general population.”
The ACA marketplace provides health โฃinsurance options for individuals who โdo not receive coverage through their โemployers or government programs like โคMedicare and Medicaid. โขTrump’s proposal to repurpose these funds represents a significant challengeโค toโ the โhealthcare law,a long-standing target of Republican โฃefforts.
Thisโ is not โขthe firstโข time Trump has suggested direct payments as a form of economic relief. During his first term, he proposed similar measures as part of a COVID-19โ relief package. โRepresentatives โฃfrom theโข White House, Senateโข Majorityโข leader John thune, and โSenate Democratic Leader โChuck Schumer have not yet commented onโ the latest proposal. Theโ fateโ of โขthe shutdown, โand Trump’s plan, remains โฃuncertain โขas negotiationsโค continue.
