Congress has had ‘zero time’ to discuss Trump’s $5k dividend, Johnson says
Por Cheyanne M. Daniels — POLITICO – TOP Stories
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday sought to clarify President Donald Trump’s recent promise to send a $5,000 dividend to all U.S. adults if the GOP retains control of Congress in November.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Johnson called the “Trump dividend” a “creative idea” even as he appeared to suggest such money would not be a physical check.
“I think what he was articulating there, Jake, is that he’s saying that if you want more money in your pocket, you have to keep Republicans in charge,” Johnson told host Jake Tapper.
During an appearance at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas last week, Trump vowed to send $5,000 to every adult in the U.S. if Republicans retain control of Congress in the midterms — possible, he said, because of the “tremendous economic success” under his administration.
Such a move would require congressional approval, though Trump in an interview with CBS News appeared to dismiss the caveat.
“I think they will do it if we needed it, but we think not,” Trump said. “The country is doing so well. We’ve taken in trillions of dollars in tariffs and other things.”
Johnson on Sunday clarified that Trump would, in fact, require congressional approval to fulfill the promise but added “we have had zero time, of course, to process that, deliberate, discuss it.”
Still, Trump’s promise was immediately met with skepticism from GOP leaders, many of whom expressed concerns about how the checks would be financed and the potential to explode the deficit.
“We are already more than $40 trillion in debt, and cannot support another massive spending package without a clear way to pay for it,” outgoing Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said in a social media post Friday.
Some skeptics called it a bribe. The National Review headlined a column: “Trump Breaks Glass, Joins Socialists, Embraces Bribery.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X: “Trump’s presidency is so failed and broken, he is resorting to trying to bribe the American people for their votes.”
But Trump on Friday doubled down on the promise, writing in a post to Truth Social that “When I say something, I mean it!”
“The $5,000 dividend will happen because the people of our country deserve it,” he added.
It is not the first time Trump has promised some form of rebate to Americans. Last year, the president backed billionaire Elon Musk’s proposal to send Americans rebate checks from the money saved through the Department of Government Efficiency. He had also proposed sending checks funded by money the government gained through tariffs. Neither of those dividends were ever sent.
Fonte: POLITICO – TOP Stories
