Trump calls $5K payouts 'easy' to fit into budget

On Sunday, President Donald Trump stated that the United States could afford to send $5,000 to every adult resident should his Republican Party maintain control of Congress in the upcoming elections. When asked about the need for congressional approval, Trump claimed that the government is receiving substantial amounts of money, making the payments easy to manage.

He revealed the idea of $5,000 payouts during a speech at the Republican Party convention the previous week. Upon reaching Ireland for a golf tournament, Trump reiterated that the U.S. government has the funds to pay for the proposed payments.

However, any such payment would require approval from Congress, as House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, pointed out on Sunday. Johnson admitted that there are details to be worked out, adding that the devil is in the details. Democratic politicians dismissed the idea on Sunday morning talk shows. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries labeled it as not a serious proposal, while U.S. Senator Mallory McMorrow questioned whether the promised checks would be sent, citing the cancellation of Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, did not commit to Trump's $5,000 dividend proposal but emphasized the importance of putting money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans, focusing on the issue of paying for it given the $4 trillion debt the country currently bears. Consumer watchdog Public Citizen's Lisa Gilbert criticized the move as an attempt to buy votes in the November election, calling it a new low in terms of American democracy principles.