On Sept. 9, 2026 Trump pledged that if Republicans retain control of both
chambers in the November midterm elections he will pay each U.S. adult $5,000;
covering more than 200 million adults would push the bill above $1 trillion, and
he suggested tariffs as the funding source. In April 2020 the Trump
administration issued up to $1,200 pandemic relief checks to eligible
recipients. In December 2020 Trump sought to raise a second-round payment from
$600 to $2,000, but Congress approved only $600. In Feb. 2025 the U.S.
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) proposed $5,000 rebate checks to
roughly 79 million eligible taxpayer households as part of a spending-cut
package; the plan was not implemented. In Nov. 2025, amid a Supreme Court review
of federal tariffs, Trump floated at least $2,000 “tariff dividends” for most
Americans funded by tariff revenue; that proposal also was not enacted.
