Trump's $5,000 check pledge thrills MAGA supporters but alarms Republicans
Key Takeaways
- •Trump said the $5,000 payment would depend on Republicans keeping control of both congressional chambers.
- •Lawmakers and congressional aides said they received no advance notice of the proposal, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
- •A senior Senate Republican aide estimated the plan would cost approximately $1.2 trillion and predicted it would face strong resistance.
- •Senator Bernie Moreno backed the proposal by pledging to write legislation, while Vice President JD Vance described it as a dividend for workers.
- •Groundwork Collaborative said Trump has made 15 similar check, rebate, or dividend promises since returning to office without issuing any payments.
President Donald Trump’s surprise pledge to send every American a $5,000 check drew cheers at his Dallas rally but met strong resistance within his own party.
Trump unveiled the proposal Wednesday at the Republican midterm convention, promising that Congress would approve the payment for every adult citizen if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in November. More than a dozen lawmakers, congressional aides and policy experts told The Washington Sun they had received no advance warning. Senate Majority Leader John Thune was reportedly neither briefed nor consulted.
The proposal received a markedly colder response on Capitol Hill. A senior Senate Republican aide predicted that the roughly $1.2 trillion plan would hit a “brick wall.” Any payment would require Congress to approve legislation, and the article identifies no bill or congressional vote at this stage.
“It’s not going to happen,” the aide said, citing persistent inflation that Republicans blame in part on pandemic-era stimulus checks.
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office who now leads the American Action Forum, said the proposal had surprised lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
“It’s a bad idea. There’s no need for it economically, and it looks desperate politically,” he said.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who said he also received no advance notice, criticized the proposal online as “evil & soul-sucking” government dependency.
Still, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) pledged to draft legislation, while Vice President JD Vance defended the proposed payment as a “dividend for American workers.”
The left-leaning Groundwork Collaborative said Trump has promised Americans a check, rebate or dividend 15 times since returning to office. None of those payments has materialized.
