Trump: $5,000 payments are easy to fit into the federal budget

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States can afford his promise to send $5,000 to every adult American if his Republican Party retains control of Congress in this year’s elections.

“I don’t know, but it’s easy if Republicans win. $5,000 for every adult in the country, and we can easily afford it because we’re taking in so much money,” Trump told reporters when asked whether Congress would have to approve the payments, adding that trillions of dollars were flowing into the country.

Trump unveiled the idea of $5,000 payments during a speech at the Republican Party convention last week. Speaking to reporters on Sunday in Ireland, where he was attending a golf tour at his Doonbeg club, the president said the U.S. government has the funds to pay for it.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said any such payment would have to be approved by Congress. Democratic politicians criticized the idea, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries telling ABC’s “This Week” that it is not a “serious proposal.”