A Republican senator has become one of the most outspoken critics within his own party of President Donald Trump's proposal to send $5,000 checks to American adults if Republicans maintain control of Congress in November, calling the idea "absolutely inflationary." Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana made the comments during an appearance on CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday, adding to growing scrutiny of one of Trump's most attention-grabbing campaign promises ahead of the midterm elections. The remarks come just a week after House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to guarantee Americans would actually receive the payments, despite Trump's public pledge that the checks would be issued if Republicans hold both the House and Senate. Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on Sunday.
Trump unveiled the proposal during the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas, saying every adult U.S. citizen would receive a $5,000 "dividend" if Republicans retain congressional control. The promise immediately raised questions about how the payments would be funded and whether Congress would approve them. While Democrats have criticized the plan, Cassidy's comments are notable because they come from a Republican senator and echo concerns that some fiscal conservatives have raised about government spending, inflation and the national debt.
CBS moderator Margaret Brennan noted that the United States has roughly $40 trillion in debt and asked Cassidy whether the proposal would be inflationary, even if the administration found a way to distribute the money without direct congressional appropriations. "It's absolutely inflationary," Cassidy replied. The Louisiana Republican then suggested conservatives would likely have opposed the idea had it come from a Democratic administration.
"If Joe Biden had proposed that, conservatives would have been all against it," Cassidy said. Cassidy, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot, has had a strained relationship with the president. Trump backed efforts to unseat him, and Cassidy is set to leave the Senate when his term ends in January after losing his reelection bid.
Cassidy argued that borrowing money for such a program could ultimately increase costs for consumers by pushing up borrowing rates. "If the government borrows money, it's going to drive up how much somebody pays for their mortgage, for their car note, perhaps for their credit card," he said. He added that higher borrowing costs would make major purchases less affordable for Americans already struggling with rising expenses.
"For that family struggling to buy their first home or to refinance a home or to buy a car, it becomes that much more out of reach to you," Cassidy said. Rather than issuing direct payments, Cassidy argued that reducing the national debt would provide greater long-term economic benefits. "We need to actually pay attention to our national debt," he said.
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