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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump's pitch to send Americans $5,000 checks should Republicans prevail in the November midterms is drawing scorn from some members of Congress and praise from others, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio.
Economists and other political observers are voicing concerns about the potential effects on inflation and the national balance sheet.
Trump told CBS News Texas in an interview that he doesn't believe Congress would need to approve his planned payments to American adults, though he did not specify how he could spend more than $1 trillion without Congress.
"Well, we think not," Trump said about congressional approval. "I think they will do it if we needed it. But we think not."
A few of Trump's allies embraced the idea, including Moreno, who said he would prepare legislation for the payments. Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg, the Republican chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said "it was the first I heard of it last night" but called it good economic policy.
"If it can be done, the American taxpayer deserves the benefit of having more in their pocket than the government," Walberg said ahead of a brief session in the Capitol on Thursday.
But critics accused him of trying to buy votes at a time when Republicans are trying to maintain slim majorities in Congress.
"I don't know about you all, but frankly I'm insulted by the notion that my vote this November could be bought for 5k," Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is one of Trump's least favorite lawmakers, wrote on social media. "Not to mention the inflation this would cause."
Rep. Ted Lieu, vice chairman of the House Democratic caucus, outright mocked the president.
"If Democrats flip the House and Senate everyone will get a $10,000 dividend, and a pony, and free ice cream for life," he posted on social media. "(Folks can also choose free yogurt for life, because we're Democrats after all)."
The president's proposal, unveiled in his nearly two-hour speech Wednesday night in Dallas, would carry a price tag exceeding $1.3 trillion if Congress were to authorize $5,000 payments to the nation's 270 million adults.
The Treasury already is running a current annual deficit approaching $1.8 trillion, and the total national debt topped $40 trillion this year. According to Treasury Department data, that interest expense for fiscal year 2026 will come to about $1.27 trillion, similar to the projected cost of Trump's idea.
Responsible Federal Budget Senior Policy Director Marc Goldwein said, "The president does not have legal authority to send people $5,000 per adult."