Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) stated on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, that President Donald Trump has not fulfilled repeated promises to provide direct payments to Americans. Speaking to a reporter outside the Capitol, Khanna referenced a legislative proposal he co-authored with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as a way for the president to distribute funds to families.
The exchange follows several instances during President Trump’s second term where he has proposed issuing "dividend" checks to the public. These proposals include payments derived from savings identified by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an entity tasked with cutting federal jobs. Most recently, the president stated he would provide $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans win the upcoming midterm elections.
Khanna asserted that Trump has promised such checks 15 times without any being delivered. He promoted the "Tax the Billionaires" bill, which he said would provide $12,000 to families earning under $150,000. While the president has suggested he could issue these checks unilaterally, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that any such payments would require approval from Congress.
A person would notice these changes as direct deposits or checks. However, the implementation of such payments would require shifts in federal spending or tax policy. Critics cited in the report characterized the president's $5,000 offer as a voter bribe, while the cost of the program would add more than $1 trillion to the federal ledger.
The next steps for these proposals depend on the outcome of the midterm elections and congressional action. President Trump has tied his $5,000 payment to a Republican victory in the midterms. Meanwhile, the "Tax the Billionaires" bill remains a legislative proposal that would require a vote in both the House and Senate to become law. Specific dates for votes on either the payments or the tax legislation have not been reported.