El Pasoans, Non-Partisan national budget expert react to Trump’s $5000 ‘election dividends’

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Widespread reaction has continued to pour in across the country to claims made by President Trump Wednesday night at the 2026 Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, the first of it's kind.

In a nearly 100 minute speech, the President announced that if Republicans win and hold their majority in both the U.S. House and Senate, every adult American would receive a dividend worth $5,000.

Trump in his remarks said that by paying all adult Americans $5000, that it is similar to "a successful company will do a cash distribution to it's shareholders," according to the President.

Now, both everyday El Pasoans and a member of the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget are speaking out on their thoughts of whether they believe an idea as bold as Trump's is possible.

ABC-7 spoke with Marc Goldwein, the Senior Vice President and Senior Policy Director of the committee, as well as two El Paso natives on their thoughts on the matter and how it could affect the economy at large.

In addition, ABC-7 was provided this statement Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget on the remarks from the president:

Yesterday, President Trump, speaking at the Republican Midterm Convention, proposed issuing “a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States for $5,000” if “the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.”

The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget ran the numbers on this idea – of which many details remain unknown – and estimates issuing this dividend in 2027 would cost the federal government over $1.2 trillion.

To put that into perspective:

• This would be 50% larger than the entire primary deficit projected for 2027 and would increase projected deficits beyond $3 trillion
• This is far more than all three COVID-era stimulus payments combined
• This would be greater than the projected cost next year of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)
• This would drive deficits as a share of GDP to 9.4% in 2027, more than triple the 3% target most experts agree we should be aiming for over time

 Reacting to this idea, Committee President Maya MacGuineas issued a statement, saying in part:

“This proposal is fiscally dangerous, economically backwards, and fundamentally unserious. It’s hard to understand how anyone could look at our current fiscal and economic situation and think we need to borrow another $1.2 trillion to send everyone cash… If the goal is improving affordability, we need policies to reduce deficits, not expand them."

Thoughtful deficit reduction is the best way to fight inflation, temper interest rates, boost income growth, and save Social Security and Medicare for future generations.