President Donald Trump really wants to send you a check.
Throughout his second term, Trump has pledged to send Americans money in various ways, including tariff rebate checks and bonuses to select government employees.
Some of that free money is becoming a reality: Congress created “Trump Accounts” as part of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which will provide tax-free federal grants of $1,000 to children born in the next few years.
Others remain elusive, or have fallen by the wayside. Remember the DOGE dividend?
Trump also sent out checks during his first term, but under much different circumstances. As part of two successive COVID-era stimulus bills, the federal government sent Americans $1,200 in the spring of 2020 and $600 in the winter, shortly before the president left office.
Trump’s signature appeared on those checks, which was a source of controversy during a presidential election year.
$5,000 DOGE dividends
In February, investor James Fishback floated the idea of sending $5,000 “DOGE Dividend” checks to almost 80 million taxpaying American households.
Those checks would be paid for by spending cuts achieved by DOGE, the government efficiency office led by Elon Musk at the time.
The idea quickly caught Musk’s attention, and Trump eventually said that they were under consideration.
But there were some problems. For one, the $5,000 figure was based on Musk’s original estimate of $2 trillion in savings, which never materialized.
Republicans in Congress also balked at the idea, saying they preferred to see a reduction in the national debt.
The idea eventually faded, though Trump’s political operation has continued to float the idea in fundraising emails.
$2,000 tariff rebate checks
While defending tariffs in a November Truth Social post, Trump said his administration would pay “everyone” except “high income people” a dividend of at least $2,000.
Although Trump’s Truth Social posts are not actual government orders, the statement drew attention from citizens and his colleagues in Washington, D.C.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget published an analysis the following day, stating that there would not be enough tariff revenue to support the idea.
“With our national debt quickly approaching an all-time high and annual budget deficits approaching $2 trillion per year, it is imperative that policymakers focus on actually reducing deficits and putting debt on a downward path,” the committee wrote.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also pushed back on Trump’s dividend remark during an ABC News interview, saying there were no plans to spend tariff revenue.
Trump would also need approval from Congress to pass such an order, which seems unlikely given the lack of enthusiasm from Republican members.
“We’re facing a deficit this year around $2 trillion,” Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, told reporters. “I think whatever revenue we get, from whatever source, ought to go to try and bring down those deficits.”
$10,000 bonuses for air traffic controllers
The longest government shutdown in US history began on October 1, spanning 43 days while Democrats and Republicans in Congress negotiated a new budget.
The fallout forced the government to furlough hundreds of thousands of federal workers, while others — such as air traffic controllers — had to continue working without pay ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday rush.
Air traffic controllers received their first $0 paychecks in late October. Some of them stopped showing up for work, sparking a staffing shortage and an onslaught of flight delays and cancellations.
In November, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that the shutdown put air traffic controllers in a difficult spot.
“They’re confronted with a decision: Do I put food on my kids’ table, do I put gas in the car, do I pay my rent, or do I go to work and not get paid? They’re making decisions,” Duffys said. “I’ve encouraged them all to come to work. I want them to come to work, but they’re making life decisions that they shouldn’t have to make.”
Trump, meanwhile, criticized the air traffic controllers who had not shown up for work during the shutdown in a November Truth Social post.
“For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU,” Trump wrote.
He said air traffic controllers who didn’t take time off during the shutdown were “GREAT PATRIOTS” and he would recommend a $10,000 bonus for each of them.
Duffy shared more details in an X post, writing that 776 air traffic controllers would receive $10,000 bonus checks in early December.
“Santa’s coming to town a little early,” Duffy wrote.
$1,000 for Trump Accounts
Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law on July 4, implementing new tax policies and changes to federal programs, including SNAP.
The bill also introduced so-called Trump Accounts, which are specialized retirement accounts for US children. They were previously referred to as “money account for growth and advancement,” or MAGA accounts.
The Trump administration said children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, who open Trump Accounts, would receive a one-time $1,000 tax-free federal grant. US children with a valid Social Security number are eligible. Friends, family, and others are allowed to deposit another $5,000 tax-free into those accounts.
The White House said several CEOs agreed to invest in Trump Accounts, including Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon.
In December, Michael and Susan Dell pledged to invest $6.25 billion to support Invest America, the federal program that spearheaded Trump Accounts.
Hedge fund manager Ray Dalio has also pledged to deposit $250 into the Trump Accounts of 300,000 Connecticut children. Some large companies, like BlackRock, have offered a $1,000 match for the children of eligible employees.
$1,776 “Warrior dividends” for troops
During an economic address to Americans in December, Trump said his administration would provide bonus checks to members of the military before Christmas.
In a subsequent news release, the newly rebranded Department of War said Trump is giving service members bonus checks to “thank them for their military service and to commemorate the 250 years the US military has been defending the nation.”
The checks, dubbed the “Warrior Dividend,” are each worth $1,776.
“Money to pay for the Warrior Dividend came earlier this year as part of the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Approximately 1.28 million active-duty and 174,000 reserve component military members will receive the dividend as a nontaxable supplement to their regular monthly housing allowance,” the Department of War said.
The department said eligible service members can expect to see the payment before December 20.
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post Here’s all the free money Trump’s talked about giving Americans during his second term — and where it all stands appeared first on Business Insider.
