Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday criticized former President Donald Trump's proposal to distribute $5,000 checks to American citizens if Republicans secure majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. DeSantis, speaking at a press conference in Miami, argued that such a payout would lead to increased inflation and higher national debt.
"What I don’t think you want to do is borrow another $1.5 trillion, and then just try to flood that into the economy, because that will lead to more inflation," DeSantis stated, according to Politico. He suggested that if surplus revenue is available, it should be used for tax cuts rather than direct payments.
DeSantis, who previously served in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018, advocated for tax reductions as a means to stimulate economic activity. "The lesson of Florida is by creating a good economic environment, by having low taxes and no income tax, that has expanded our economic base," he said. "And so, even though you’re cutting taxes, you’re taking in more revenue because you have more economic activity. So it’s a virtuous cycle."
Trump announced the dividend proposal during a speech at a convention in Dallas on Wednesday night. He stated that if Republicans win both chambers of Congress, he would issue a $5,000 dividend to every adult citizen. The potential cost of such a plan, if distributed to approximately 245 million American adults, could exceed $1.2 trillion.
Vice President JD Vance offered a different perspective in an interview, suggesting the checks would be targeted towards the middle and working classes and funded by revenue generated from tariffs. However, a Supreme Court ruling against Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for tariffs complicates this approach, as the administration has been required to return revenue from those duties. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicated that tariff revenue for fiscal year 2026, as of July 27, was just under $300 billion.
Other Republicans have also expressed reservations. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) proposed in a Fox News interview that the distribution could be structured as a tax refund for working Americans, emphasizing the need to incentivize work. "If you’re working, you’re paying income taxes, you’re paying Social Security taxes; I would be all for structuring it as a tax refund," Cruz said. "But I think we should be incentivizing work; I don’t think we should be paying people that are not working, particularly those that are physically able to work but are choosing not to."