Lawler deflects on supporting Trump’s $5K dividend pledge: ‘How do you pay for it?’

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) on Sunday joined multiple Republican lawmakers in questioning the fiscal sense of President Trump’s proposal to send $5,000 to every American adult.

During an interview on ABC’s “ This Week ,” Lawler initially avoided the question of whether he supported Trump’s proposed dividend.

“I support putting money back in the pockets of hard-working Americans,” Lawler told host George Stephanopoulos, pointing to his support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which increased the state and local taxes deduction from $10,000 to $40,000.

Trump pledged Wednesday to send $5,000 to each of the roughly 270 million American adults if Republicans hold on to their slim majorities in both chambers of Congress in November.

The president noted recipients would only be able to spend the money in the U.S., but did not provide any other specifics.

“Because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas.

On Sunday, Lawler noted Trump and former President Biden signed legislation providing Americans with stimulus checks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The question is, how do you pay for it? How do you be able to pass the legislation to put more money back in the pockets of hard-working Americans? That’s the objective,” the moderate Republican told Stephanopoulos.

“Whether you call it a stimulus check or a dividend, the question is, how do you pay for it? That’s my focus. We have a $40 trillion debt and we have to be serious about tackling that,” Lawler later noted.

Multiple GOP lawmakers have pushed back on Trump’s proposal. Outgoing Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) was among them, arguing the dividends would lead to government “dependency,” which he called evil.

Vice President Vance said Wednesday on Fox News’s “ Hannity ” that the administration could tap into tariff revenue to fund such a program, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday the administration will not utilize taxpayer money to dole out the dividends.

“Together we’re going to deliver that plan and we’re going to pay that money to the Americans, and not from taxpayer money,” Lutnick told NBC News , referencing the yet-to-be-launched Trump Platinum Card program for immigrants as a potential source of funding.