Arabic version: ترامب يجدّد وعده بشيكات بقيمة 5,000 دولار قبل انتخابات التجديد النصفي
According to Cnbc, President Donald Trump renewed a promise to give every adult U.S. citizen $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. In a Truth Social video posted Saturday, Trump said the payments would follow a Republican victory. He has not provided details on how the proposal would be authorized, who would fund it or how it would be paid for.
The pledge came after two other federal cash-payment programs moved forward. Trump announced one-time $90 payments Friday for 20.8 million Medicare beneficiaries. The payments, for certain eligible Medicare Part B enrollees, are scheduled to arrive this month and are funded through the Medicare Improvement Fund. Separately, $500 Obamacare “refund” checks began going out last week to roughly 950,000 people who bought unsubsidized coverage through the federal marketplace.
A Reuters analysis found that 71% of the Obamacare money, or $339 million, is going to residents of 13 states with competitive Senate and gubernatorial races. Eligibility for those payments is based on insurance status rather than voting status. The direct-payment announcements come as Republicans enter the final stretch of a midterm campaign in which concerns about prices and the economy have been prominent.
Sending $5,000 to every adult citizen would cost roughly $1.2 trillion and require congressional approval. Some lawmakers have questioned the plan’s potential effects on the deficit and inflation. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., told Reuters last month that he would oppose the proposal, while Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in a Sept. 10 CNN interview that Congress controls federal spending.
Polling cited by CNBC indicates mixed voter reaction. A Rasmussen Reports survey found likely voters split 47% to 48% on the proposal, and 15% said it would affect their vote. A Marquette Law School poll in Wisconsin found 70% opposed the payments, while an Economist/YouGov survey found 57% of registered voters doubted Trump would deliver them even if Republicans retained Congress. Trump previously floated $5,000 DOGE dividend checks and tariff-funded payments, but those checks were not issued.
