President Donald Trump announced late Friday that the federal government will send a one-time $90 payment to more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, saying the money would help cover monthly insurance premiums. The White House said the payments would go out in early October, mostly as direct deposits. The move would mark the first time any administration has drawn on the Medicare Improvement Fund, an account Congress set up nearly two decades ago.

According to a White House fact sheet, the money comes from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which Congress provided with $2 billion to improve the Medicare fee-for-service program. The fund was established in 2008 and has never been used to make payments, the White House said. Most eligible seniors will receive the $90 as a direct deposit in early October; those without direct deposit information on file will get a paper check mailed in early October to the address they have registered with Medicare. In his late-night Truth Social post announcing the plan, Trump described the payments as checks of "nearly $100" for seniors, though the official figure is $90 per person.

The administration said most Medicare Part B enrollees qualify. Two groups are excluded: people whose premiums are already covered by Medicaid, and those who pay an income-related surcharge on their premiums. Seniors who want to confirm their eligibility can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), and questions about the status of the payment go to the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.

The announcement is the latest in a string of cash pledges Trump has made to voters in the run-up to the November midterm elections, when control of Congress will be decided. Last month he floated sending $5,000 checks to every adult citizen if Republicans hold the House and Senate, a proposal that drew skepticism from analysts, economists and even some Republicans in Congress. His administration is also sending $500 payments to nearly 1 million people, describing them as refunds for what it calls excessive fees on health insurance bought through the Affordable Care Act, a step strategists say could sway close races. His record on such promises is mixed: roughly 1.45 million service members received $1,776 "warrior dividend" checks, but the $2,000 tariff-dividend checks and the savings-sharing checks tied to his government efficiency drive never materialized.

It is also unclear whether the White House has the legal authority to redirect the fund's money in this way. The White House says Trump is the first president to use the fund to directly lower costs for seniors, but its announcement did not include a published legal justification for the move.

The pledge lands as voters rank the cost of living among their top concerns. A government report this week showed U.S. hiring slowed sharply in September while unemployment climbed to 4.2 percent (read our coverage), and fuel prices have surged during the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, squeezing household budgets. The White House has described the recent increases in gas prices as temporary and says they will fall once the conflict's objectives are achieved.

With the midterms a month away, both parties are spending heavily on the races that will decide the narrow congressional majorities (read our coverage). The administration says the Medicare payments will reach most eligible seniors within weeks — before voters cast their ballots.