President Donald Trump says the U.S. can afford to cut $5,000 checks for every American adult, provided Republicans hold onto Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. There's just one catch: lawmakers would actually have to approve it.

Trump Pushes $5,000 Checks

Speaking to reporters in Ireland on Sunday, Trump said the government has enough money to fund the payments, pointing to the substantial revenue flowing into the country, Reuters reported.

"I don't know but it's easy if the Republicans win. $5,000 to all adults in the country and we can easily handle that because we're taking in so much money."

Trump first floated the $5,000 payouts at the Republican Party convention last week.

Congress Must Approve Payments

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made clear that Congress would have to sign off on any payments.

"Of course, the devil's in the details. We have to figure all that out," Johnson told CNN's "State of the Union."

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) also raised questions about how the payments would be financed, pointing to the nation's debt.

"I support putting money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans, which is why we passed the single largest tax cut in American history," he said on ABC's "This Week."

He added, "But whether you call it a stimulus check or a dividend, the question is, how do you pay for it? That's my focus. We have a $4 trillion debt, and we have to be serious about tackling that."

Democrats Challenge Trump's Proposal

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called it "wasn't a serious proposal that was presented by Donald Trump. He's broken every promise that he's presented."

Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Mich.) also questioned whether Americans would actually receive the promised payments, pointing to the cancellation of some Affordable Care Act subsidies.

"There was an ACA subsidy cancellation," McMorrow said on CNN. "I think it was $1,000 we were supposed to get. So if you believe that you're going to get $5,000, I've got a bridge to sell you."

Concerns Over $5,000 Dividend

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) took a cautious stance on Trump's proposed $5,000 dividend checks, declining to commit to the plan amid its estimated $1.2 trillion cost and rising national debt.

Economist Peter Schiff also questioned how the government could afford the payments, pointing to nearly $4 trillion in additional debt during Trump's 20 months in office.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.