Trump says $90 payments to Part B enrollees "help pay for their Medicare Part B premiums"

President Donald Trump announced Friday that more than 20 million Medicare Part B enrollees would get one-time $90 payments, which the White House said would come from the Medicare Improvement Fund and be delivered mostly through Social Security Administration direct deposits, with paper checks for those lacking direct-deposit records. The White House said the money should arrive in early October, roughly a month before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Critics including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have called the payments an attempt to bribe voters, while others say eligibility rules exclude people whose premiums are covered by Medicaid or reduced based on income. The administration has issued three direct-payment announcements in less than a month, and it did not seek congressional approval for this one.