En esta noticia
President Donald Trump has promised $5,000 to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans hold on to both the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections. That’s more than the most an eligible adult could have received from all three COVID-19 stimulus checks put together: $3,200.
Trump renewed the offer in a Truth Social video Oct. 3. He returned to it at an Oct. 27 rally in Texas, adding that recipients would have to spend the money in the U.S.
The pledge arrives as two smaller federal payments are already in motion. One is a one-time $90 payment for 20.8 million Medicare Part B enrollees, scheduled for October. The other is a $500 check for about 950,000 people who paid full price for Affordable Care Act coverage on HealthCare.gov.
How does Trump’s $5,000 promise compare with the 3 COVID checks?
During the pandemic, Congress approved three rounds of direct payments, officially called Economic Impact Payments. Two were signed during Trump’s first term: up to $1,200 in March 2020 and up to $600 in December 2020. The third, up to $1,400, came in March 2021 under President Joe Biden.
Combined, those checks came to as much as $3,200 per eligible adult, with smaller amounts for people above certain income limits. Trump’s proposal would be $1,800 more than that maximum in a single payment.
Sending $5,000 to every adult citizen would cost roughly $1.2 trillion.
What’s the real catch in Trump’s $5,000 promise?
A Republican win on Tuesday wouldn’t send anyone a check. The Constitution gives Congress control of federal spending. The House and Senate would have to pass a law authorizing the payments, and the president would have to sign it.
That’s how the pandemic checks worked: each round was written into legislation before any money went out. Trump hasn’t said who would authorize the $5,000 payments or how they would be paid for.
A Republican majority wouldn’t guarantee the votes. Some GOP lawmakers have raised concerns about the deficit and inflation. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., told reporters in September he would fight the plan with “everything of my heart and soul,” warning it could drive up interest rates.
Democrats oppose it too. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., called it a “political bribe” in a Sept. 10 interview. Some economists have warned that a payment this size could add to inflation.