What to know about Trump's US$5,000 'dividend' pledge
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has promised US$5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in November’s midterm elections.
President Donald Trump has pledged to give every American adult US$5,000 if Republicans retain control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections. This promise has raised concerns about its legality, cost, and funding source. Federal law prohibits offering payments in exchange for votes, and any such payment would require congressional approval.
Trump claims Congress wouldn't need to approve the payments, but past promises of similar amounts have not materialized. The cost of the proposed "Trump Dividend" is estimated at US$1.384 trillion, assuming it's given to all adult Americans. This amount would be significantly reduced if payments were limited to US citizens. The checks would likely exacerbate inflation, which is already at 3.4 percent, as they would stimulate demand in an already rising prices economy.
While Trump could potentially use tariff revenues to fund the dividends, the Supreme Court has struck down many of his tariffs and net customs revenue turned negative in recent months. Democratic reaction to the proposal has been harsh, with figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom calling Trump "the most corrupt man ever to occupy the Oval Office" and Representative Jamie Raskin describing his pledge as "fantastically reckless and dysfunctional."
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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