As reported by @ddiamond last week, starting this week the Trump administration is spending $20 million of taxpayer money mailing out almost 40 million letters promising seniors $200 discount cards. I think we& #39;re underestimating the potential impact of this illegal abuse. /Thread https://twitter.com/politico/status/1316043960222134274">https://twitter.com/politico/...

2. The whole scheme would cost $8 billion, none of it authorized by Congress. But just mailing the announcement is a $20 million direct mail campaign to seniors funded by taxpayers. For comparison, the Trump campaign& #39;s ~entire broadcast ad budget for September~ was $20 million.

3. This needs to be more of a priority for watchdogs and journalists. As of now, it gets lost as one more crazy story during S Ct hearings. It reminds me of the hacking of emails in the fall of 2016. We didn& #39;t absorb what a criminal scandal it was until after the election.

4. The Trump White House and CMS leadership are raiding the Medicare trust fund to substantially subsidize their flailing presidential campaign. It& #39;s not legal. It may be criminal. It& #39;s a big story and a big problem. /End thread