Policy gurus explain why Trump is mailing $500 checks to nearly 1 million Americans

President Donald Trump is mailing $500 checks to nearly 1 million Americans across 30 states, a move experts say combines electoral strategy with an attack on the Biden administration. The White House describes it as returning “Obama overcharges” to Affordable Care Act enrollees, after the Biden team collected surplus “user fees” from insurers that were passed on as higher premiums. Trump said in a letter included with the payments that he would “restore Affordability” and lower healthcare costs. Karl Widerquist and Thomas Roulet questioned the initiative’s resemblance to universal basic income and said it appears designed to make an ideological point. The payments arrive as voters head to November elections over House and Senate control, with Trump also previously floated a $5,000 “Trump Dividend.”