Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Nov 9: US President Donald Trump has intensified his attack on the Affordable Care Act, urging Republicans to redirect federal healthcare payments directly to citizens instead of insurance companies as the government shutdown becomes the longest in US history.

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump repeated his demand that Republicans stop sending what he described as vast sums of money to insurers participating in the ACA marketplace. He wrote that hundreds of billions of dollars should no longer go to what he called “Democrat-supported insurance companies for really bad Obamacare” and that the money must instead “go directly to the people,” taking insurance companies “out of the corrupt system of healthcare.”

Trump said Americans could buy better health policies on their own for much less money, saving themselves a fortune. His remarks echoed an earlier proposal to send ACA-related federal subsidies straight to Americans as part of a compromise to end the funding deadlock.

The shutdown, which began on October 1, remains unresolved after Senate Republicans rejected a proposal from Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to reopen the government by allowing ACA subsidies to continue for one year. The subsidies currently support more than 20 million Americans, a number expected to reach 24 million as renewals increase.

Republicans have dismissed the Democrats’ offer, insisting that the government must first be reopened before discussing other policy matters. Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the proposal a “non-starter.”

Trump has also renewed pressure on Republicans to eliminate the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation. With neither side offering concessions, the shutdown continues, leaving millions of Americans caught in the middle.