Amid a record-setting government shutdown and Democratic wins in an off-year election, President Donald Trump floated a series of unusual policy ideas.
Fifty-year mortgages? Paying Americans, instead of insurers, for health coverage? Dividends of $2,000 from tariff revenues? Bonuses for air traffic controllers who showed up for work during the shutdown? All proposed by the president in the span of a few days.
We looked at each of these proposals, and whether policy experts think they are likely to come to fruition.
Each idea is, for now, little more than a presidential musing on social media. To become reality, most would require formal proposals and legislation passed by both chambers of Congress. Other ideas such as mortgages would likely require significant action by lenders.
Adding a 50-year mortgage option
On Nov. 8, Trump posted to Truth Social side-by-side portraits of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and himself, with “30-year mortgage” above Roosevelt and “50-year mortgage” above Trump. A headline said, “Great American Presidents.”
The notion quickly drew backlash, among both housing policy experts and Trump’s own base of supporters. Politico reported that the idea had originated with Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte.
Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Nov. 10, “All it means is you pay less per month. Pay it over a longer period of time. It’s not like a big factor. It might help a little bit.” (Ingraham corrected Trump, a lifelong real estate developer, when he said mortgages last 40 years today, rather than 30.)
Trump ignores the downsides of 50-year mortgages, experts say.
First, a borrower would pay far more interest over the loan’s life. Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, a Columbia University real estate and finance professor, offered an example of a $450,000 home. With a fixed interest rate of 6.2% and a 20% down payment, a borrower would pay about $434,000 in interest with a 30-year mortgage, and more than $800,000 in interest with a 50-year mortgage.
Mortgages are structured so that a borrower is mostly paying off interest during the loan’s early years. Getting a 50-year mortgage lengthens the period of heavy interest payments and delays equity accumulation. With a 30-year mortgage, a 30-year-old buyer who wanted to stay in their home could expect to own it mortgage-free by age 60, but the same borrower with a 50-year mortgage would not own the home outright until age 80.
Van Nieuwerburgh warned that lower monthly payments might entice buyers to spend more on housing, which could push up housing prices, hampering any wider benefits to real estate affordability.
Paying Americans directly for health care
In another Nov. 8 Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE, and have money left over.”
Trump elaborated during his Ingraham interview, saying, “Instead of going to the insurance companies, I want the money to go into an account for people where the people buy their own health insurance. It’s so good. The insurance will be better. It’ll cost less.”
Without a formal proposal, it’s difficult to evaluate how this might work. But it seems similar to existing Health Savings Accounts, often favored by conservatives. These accounts let people set aside money before taxes to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as deductibles and copayments.
However, under current law, these accounts’ funds generally cannot be used to pay insurance premiums. That wouldn’t necessarily be the case with Trump’s proposal.
Some progressives said if Trump wants to cut out insurance companies, expanding Medicare to everyone would be a way to accomplish that.
“Yes, Mr. President: You’re right. We do have ‘the worst health care’ of any major country,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., responded on X. “Despite spending twice as much per capita, we are the only major country not to guarantee health care to all as a human right. The solution: Medicare for All.”
Trump proposed $2,000 payments for Americans from tariff dividends
Trump promised Americans $2,000 each from what he called the “trillions of dollars” in tariff revenue he said his administration has collected.
“People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!,” Trump said in a Nov. 9 Truth Social post. “We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion. Record Investment in the USA, plants and factories going up all over the place. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”
There are no formal proposals yet for these tariff dividends. Trump didn’t define the income cutoff and didn’t say whether children would receive the payment. He also hasn’t said what form the payments might take, such as a check or tax credit.
There’s no certainty that the tariff revenue would be enough to cover the cost of a $2,000-per-person dividend.
Through the end of October, the federal government collected about $144 billion in tariffs above the 2024 level, when tariffs were much less widespread. Tax policy specialists say tariff revenue collection could increase to more than $200 billion a year if Trump’s tariffs remain in place.
But the Tax Foundation calculated that a $2,000 tariff dividend for each person earning under $100,000 would cover 150 million adult recipients and cost nearly $300 billion, or more if children qualified. That’s well above the amount of money the tariffs have raised so far.
Meanwhile, a new payout would have to be approved by Congress — and lawmakers have already declined to act on that idea once, when they passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Trump’s tariff powers would also have to pass muster with the Supreme Court, which is hearing a challenge to them.
$10,000 bonuses for air traffic controllers who kept working during the shutdown
As the shutdown dragged into its second month, Trump criticized air traffic controllers who called in sick, a tactic some believe was a protest against having to work without pay. The absences hampered the commercial aviation system.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “For those Air Traffic Controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn’t take ANY TIME OFF for the ‘Democrat Shutdown Hoax,’ I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country.”
This would require action from Congress, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged in an X post.
“To those who have worked throughout the shutdown — thank you for your patriotism and commitment to keeping our skies safe,” Duffy said. “I will work with Congress to reward your commitment.”