United States: The United States can afford proposed $5,000 payments to every adult if Republicans retain control of Congress after this year’s elections, President Donald Trump said Sunday, arguing that the federal government was taking in trillions of dollars.
Can Trump Authorize the $5,000 Payments Without Congress?
Trump made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Ireland, where he said the proposed payments would be easy to manage financially if Republicans win. “$5,000 to all adults in the country and we can easily handle that because we’re taking in so much money,” he said. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson said any such payments would require congressional approval, adding that lawmakers would need to determine the details of the proposal.
How Are Democrats and Republicans Responding to the Proposal?
Democratic leaders dismissed the proposal as unrealistic, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling it “not a serious proposal.” Some Democrats also questioned whether the administration could fund the payments amid changes to other federal programmes. Republican Representative Mike Lawler stopped short of endorsing the plan, saying the key question was how the government would pay for it, while noting concerns over the country’s debt. Consumer watchdog Public Citizen criticised the proposal as an attempt to influence voters ahead of the November elections.