WASHINGTON—$5,000 for every American adult. An $8 billion bailout for farmers. $90 payments for seniors.
The president started his campaign to put cash in the pockets of voters during Republicans’ midterm convention in September, when he announced a $1 trillion proposal to send $5,000 to each adult citizen —if the GOP holds on to its congressional majority. Since then, Trump has sent $90 to Medicare recipients to offset premiums and $500 checks to nearly one million people for what the administration called excessive fees under the Affordable Care Act. On Monday, Trump said he would send $8 billion in direct payments to U.S. farmers, some of whom have soured on the president amid his tariffs and as prices for diesel, gasoline and fertilizer have risen since his war with Iran. And on Tuesday, the president announced a new program that would provide up to $30,000 to Americans if they report a tip about government fraud.
Trump also said he would sign legislation permitting the year-round sale of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, a long-sought-after policy by U.S. corn growers. The president last week wrote on social media that Taiwan had committed to buy natural gas from a proposed export terminal in Alaska. And he highlighted a Minnesota company’s plan to build a $15 billion steel mill in Iowa .
President Trump is relying on a new strategy to salvage Republican seats in the midterm elections: promising an array of financial benefits to Americans, some of which he said he would only deliver if his party defies the polls and keeps control of Congress. Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, described Trump as the “unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party,” and said that “the choice has never been clearer: doubling down on President Trump’s winning, common-sense agenda or the Democrats’ extreme liberal policies and obstruction. Trump said he would only agree to the policy if Republican Sen.
Republicans are facing one of the toughest midterm environments of any party in years, and the series of policy announcements serve as both an effort to motivate voters and a tacit acknowledgment that people are hurting financially. Democrats have accused the president of trying to buy votes. Congress has to first pass the legislation, which faces an uphill climb. Roger Marshall wins in Kansas against Democratic opponent Adam Hamilton. The president has also made several announcements about new projects that are intended to benefit states that will help determine which party controls Congress.
But the president’s proposal to dole out $5,000 checks to Americans, which Trump has said would be contingent on the GOP keeping control of Congress, is expected to face hurdles. Sending $5,000 to every American adult would likely cost well over $1 trillion, the Journal has previously reported. Democrats and some Republicans have expressed skepticism , raising concerns that such a move would balloon budget deficits and fuel inflation.
