Trump Again Promises $5,000 Checks if Republicans Win Congress: Smaller Payments Are Already Going Out.
President Donald Trump is again promising Americans a $5,000 check if Republicans retain control of Congress in November, reviving the proposal as his administration rolls out smaller payments to millions of people less than a month before the midterm elections.
Trump reiterated the pledge Saturday, one day after announcing that 20.8 million eligible Medicare beneficiaries would receive one-time $90 payments this month to help cover Medicare Part B premiums. The money will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, according to the administration.
“If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2026 Midterm Elections, I’m going to give all Adult Citizens in the United States of America, $5,000,” Trump said in a video posted to Truth Social.
Trump first made the $5,000 proposal at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas last month. But unlike the Medicare payments, the much larger “Trump dividend” has not been authorized, and the president has not explained how it would be financed.
Providing $5,000 to every adult U.S. citizen would cost the federal government an estimated $1.2 trillion and would require congressional approval. The proposal has also encountered skepticism from lawmakers concerned about federal spending and the potential impact on inflation and interest rates.
The renewed pledge comes as the administration is already distributing two significantly smaller payments. Last week, roughly 950,000 people who purchased unsubsidized health insurance through the federal Affordable Care Act marketplace began receiving $500 “refund” checks. The White House says the money is being returned to consumers who paid what it describes as excessive fees associated with the federal marketplace.
71% of the approximately $477 million being distributed through the program, about $339 million, is going to residents of 13 states with competitive Senate or gubernatorial races. Eligibility, however, is based on insurance coverage rather than voting status.
Trump has floated similar direct-payment proposals before without ultimately delivering the checks. In early 2025, his administration discussed a $5,000 “DOGE dividend” financed by projected savings from government cuts. Those payments never materialized. Trump later proposed a dividend of at least $2,000 financed by tariff revenue, but those checks were not issued either.
During his first term, Trump also announced plans weeks before the 2020 presidential election to send $200 prescription-drug cards to millions of Medicare beneficiaries. The cards were never distributed.
Other payments have reached recipients as Congress authorized pandemic-era stimulus checks during Trump’s first presidency, and his administration last year delivered $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” payments to roughly 1.5 million service members.
