Trump says he doesn't think he'll need Congressional approval for $5,000 dividends

President Donald Trump turned the political world on its head Wednesday when he vowed to send every American adult a $5,000 check if Republicans maintain control of the U.S. House and Senate after the midterm elections, arguing that America is making so much money” as a result of “tremendous economic success.”

“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” the president told the crowd at the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas. “It will be called the Trump dividend.”

With the national debt topping $40 trillion, the immediate question, from the right and left, is where would the money come from and would Congress need to approve the payout.

Trump was asked about the latter issue while sitting down with CBS News and replied, “I think not. I think they will do it if we needed it. But we think not. The country is doing so well, we have taken in trillions of dollars in tariffs and other things. We have now over $20T worth of manufacturing plants and other investments being made in the U.S., which is far greater than ever before.”

“And we think it’s something that’ll be good. We do have one proviso, and that’s that the money be spent… people spend their money in the United States,” he added. “We don’t want to have that money spent in other countries. We think it’s something that’s really good, popular and it’s a great infusion.”

As might be expected, there was no shortage of naysayers.

Jessica Riedl, a budget and tax fellow at the Brookings Institution, told the New York Post that the proposal was “irrational and dangerous,” insisting the country cannot afford the estimated $1.2 trillion cost.

“We are in a dangerous arms race where Republicans and Democrats compete to run up budget deficits by bribing voters with spending hikes and tax cuts that the country can’t afford,” Riedl said, adding, “The only way to stop the deficit arms race is for the bond market to essentially cut off the federal government’s borrowing ability, and that may be already starting right now with rising interest rates. It never ends well for an economy.”

Meanwhile, the debate rages on among social media users about whether or not this is a feasible idea — here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:

This is actually a tax refund that will disproportionately benefit poorer Americans.

Everyone will get the $5k regardless of how much they pay in taxes.

The only reason Democrats are opposing this is because it was Trump’s idea.

— Heartland Grump – The Rightest Voice on the Right (@heartland_grump) September 10, 2026

The biggest question isn’t the promise it’s how a $5,000 payment would actually be funded, authorized, and delivered. At an estimated cost above $1 trillion, the details matter.

— Joe Stiles (@Joelil412) September 10, 2026

If the federal government deposits $5K into your account, how can they ensure that money is spent in the USA? What other big tech or big bank surveillance would be attached to this?

— CaptainStu (@TheCaptainStu) September 10, 2026

News flash, we are 40 trillion dollars in debt as a country which only increases the cost of living for the American people. The government doesn’t have its own fucking money but yet let’s promise more of it and increase the deficit even more? What kind of bullshit rationale is…

— Jen (@JenX_78) September 10, 2026

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Tom Tillison

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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.

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