Trump Expands Cash-Payment Pledges Ahead of Midterms, Promising $90 for Seniors and Repeating $5,000 per Adult if Republicans Win

President Donald Trump, ahead of the midterm elections, announced a plan to send $90 to seniors and repeated his earlier pledge to give every adult $5,000 if Republicans win.

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 4 that Trump wrote in a Truth Social post the previous day that he plans to send $90 to more than 20 million seniors to help ease the cost of Medicare Part B premiums.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the money will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which Congress created to support improvements to the Medicare system. Most recipients are set to receive the $90 by bank transfer around October 8.

Trump also renewed his proposal to send $5,000 to every adult. In a video filmed in the Oval Office that day, he said a Democratic victory would bring an economic depression like the one in 1929, while a Republican win would put $5,000 in each person's pocket.

The $5,000 plan was first unveiled at the Republican midterm convention in September. It would still require congressional approval to be carried out. With the U.S. population age 18 and older at about 270 million, the cost of such a broad payout could far exceed $1 trillion, the Journal reported.

The Trump administration has recently rolled out other forms of cash payments as well. It has begun sending $500 to about 1 million people it determined had borne excessive costs related to the Affordable Care Act, and is also pursuing a $1,776 "warrior dividend" for active-duty military personnel, referring to the year of American independence.

Meanwhile, the opposition has criticized Trump's series of cash-payment proposals. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, criticized the latest payment plan for seniors as an attempt to deflect voter anger over policy failures by the Trump administration.