Checks From Trump for Health Costs Arrive, and So Do the Doubts

NPR reports that checks from President Trump for health costs are arriving in millions of mailboxes, and that a poll at the same time shows Americans don't trust Republicans on healthcare. The report says experts doubt the payments will move the needle and describe them as likely illegal.

A visible payment is one of the few things a government can put directly into someone's hand, and it is a poor instrument for repairing distrust: the poll measures belief about a party, not gratitude for a check. The legal footing is the sharper question, and on the reported view of the experts NPR cites, it is shaky.