Johnson Says Trump Needs ‘Congress to Act’ on His $5,000 Checks

The speaker called the “Trump Dividend” a “creative idea” but noted the “devil’s in the details.”

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Speaker Mike Johnson said the checks, if approved, wouldn’t add to the nation’s $40 trillion debt. (Julio Cortez/AP)

House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Donald Trump would need congressional approval to follow through with his plan to pay every American adult $5,000 if Republicans keep their majorities in November’s midterms.

When asked if he intended to carry out what the president has dubbed the “Trump Dividend,” Johnson praised the idea on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday but signaled that it would need lawmakers’ approval.

“He’d need Congress to act, and that’s a creative idea,” Johnson told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “Of course, the devil’s in the details. We have to figure all that out. But I think what he was articulating there, Jake, is that he’s saying that, if you want more money in your pocket, you have to keep Republicans in charge.”