WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a fiery Saturday morning post on his social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump renewed his decade-long crusade against the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare, calling on Senate Republicans to dismantle the program and redirect billions in federal subsidies straight into the pockets of everyday Americans. The provocative proposal, which paints health insurance giants as "money-sucking" villains, arrives as the U.S. government shutdown stretches into its 39th day, exacerbating nationwide travel woes and amplifying political tensions just weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday rush.
"I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE so that they can purchase their own, much better, healthcare, and have money left over," Trump wrote in the post, which quickly garnered millions of views and shares. He followed up with a stark summary: "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 also tacked on an unrelated but pointed aside, demanding an end to the Senate filibuster to streamline future legislative battles.
The remarks represent Trump's most direct intervention yet in the ongoing partisan standoff over ACA subsidies, which have become the linchpin of negotiations to end the shutdown. Enacted in 2010 under President Barack Obama, the ACA expanded health coverage to millions through marketplaces, Medicaid expansion, and premium subsidies that help low- and middle-income Americans afford insurance. Enhanced subsidies, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and set to expire at year's end, have kept premiums stable for about 24 million enrollees, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, have insisted on extending these subsidies as a non-negotiable condition for approving any funding bill to reopen the government, framing it as a defense of working families' access to care.
Republicans, however, view the subsidies as a bloated handout to insurers that inflates costs and entrenches a flawed system. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., rebuffed a Democratic compromise proposal on Friday that would have extended the subsidies for one year in exchange for ending the shutdown, telling reporters he would not commit to a vote on the measure. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had earlier floated a similar short-term extension to buy time for broader reforms, but hardliners within the GOP caucus balked, citing the need to avoid rewarding what they call Democratic "hostage-taking." Trump's intervention appears designed to rally the party's base and provide a populist counterpunch, echoing his 2016 campaign promises to "repeal and replace" Obamacare – a vow that fell short during his first term amid legislative hurdles.
The proposal lacks specifics, such as how the redirected funds would be distributed – whether via tax credits, vouchers, or Health Savings Accounts – or how it would ensure coverage for pre-existing conditions, a hallmark protection of the ACA. But it aligns with conservative ideas like expanding HSAs, which Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., endorsed in a rapid response to Trump's post, tweeting that such accounts would empower individuals to "shop for the best care without Big Insurance middlemen." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., piled on, blasting Democrats for demanding "we continue to throw money at a broken health care system that enriches insurance companies at the expense of American consumers." Meanwhile, moderate Republicans from swing districts, like Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have quietly advocated for a temporary subsidy bridge to avert premium spikes that could alienate voters ahead of midterms.
Trump's rhetoric drew swift backlash from Democrats, who accused him of sabotaging affordable care to score political points. "This is the same failed playbook from 2017 – chaos and cruelty disguised as compassion," Schumer said in a floor speech Saturday afternoon, vowing to block any funding bill without subsidy protections. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tied the fight to broader electoral gains, noting on Wednesday that Democratic successes in recent polls stemmed from "an appreciation that we're trying to protect health care for the American people." The White House did not immediately elaborate on Trump's idea when pressed by reporters, but Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement emphasizing that "President Trump is fighting for American families tired of subsidizing corporate profits while premiums soar."
The healthcare clash unfolds against a backdrop of mounting shutdown fallout, with air travel bearing the brunt as unpaid federal workers, including air traffic controllers, grapple with financial strain. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a 4% reduction in flights at 40 major airports starting Friday – spanning hubs like Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Chicago's O'Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver International, and Los Angeles International – to mitigate risks from controller shortages. The move, the first mandatory cuts of their kind, stemmed from absenteeism rates hitting 80% in some regions, like New York, where controllers are required to work without pay but increasingly call in sick or take second jobs.
By Saturday morning, the disruptions had escalated: FlightAware reported over 1,000 cancellations on Friday alone, with another 800+ scratched for the weekend, representing a 4% system-wide dip but far more acute pain at affected sites. Travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport faced average delays of 140 minutes, while LaGuardia in New York saw 50% of flights delayed and 12% axed. In Chicago, passengers like Sarah Ladner, en route to a family wedding, scrambled after her O'Hare connection was nixed, forcing a last-minute car rental that added $300 to her costs. "It's infuriating – we're all paying the price for D.C. gamesmanship," she told reporters at the terminal.
Airlines, caught in the crossfire, issued warnings and rebookings. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby announced "rolling updates" to schedules, prioritizing high-frequency routes to minimize chaos, while American Airlines trimmed departures on less-served paths, like reducing Dallas to Northwest Arkansas from 10 to eight daily flights. Delta Air Lines echoed the call for urgency, stating in a customer advisory that prolonged cuts "could sharply rise by the holidays" if the shutdown persists. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy amplified the alarm at a Breitbart News event Friday, projecting cuts could balloon to 15-20% by Thanksgiving – potentially grounding one in five flights and snarling travel for 50 million holiday flyers. "You might see controllers who decide they can't come to work," Duffy said, noting recovery could take weeks even after a deal.
Beyond aviation, the shutdown's ripple effects are deepening. Over 800,000 federal employees remain furloughed or unpaid, with SNAP benefits for 40 million low-income Americans at risk of delays. National parks are shuttered, IRS refund processing halted, and small businesses report $1.2 billion in daily losses, per the Partnership for Public Service. Polling from Gallup shows Republican approval dipping to 38%, with 62% of Americans blaming the GOP for the impasse – a shift Trump acknowledged earlier this week, pinning it on Democratic "extremism."
As the Senate reconvened at noon Saturday, Thune kept chambers in session over the weekend, eyeing a moderate Democratic compromise. Yet with Trump's subsidy redirection dangling as a GOP olive branch – or poison pill – resolution feels distant. Critics, including the American Hospital Association, warn that abrupt ACA changes could uninsured 13 million by 2026, spiking emergency room visits and costs. For now, as families reroute Thanksgiving plans and controllers clock unpaid hours, the shutdown symbolizes a capital frozen in ideological trench warfare, with healthcare at its frozen core.
