Taxpayers Won't Fund $5K Checks, Lutnick Says

President Trump's plan to cut $5,000 checks to every American adult wouldn't tap tax dollars, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—though how it would be funded remains anything but settled. In an NBC News interview, Lutnick said the administration could generate the money "not from the deficit and not from taxpayers," pointing to a proposed "Trump Platinum Card" that would let wealthy foreigners pay $5 million to extend US visas and to paper gains on a big Intel stock investment.

Other officials have floated different funding routes, including a congressional budget maneuver and tariff revenue, both far short of the roughly $1.3 trillion price tag. Another possibility is the federal government's 10% stake in Intel, Lutnick said, per the Hill. The stock price has climbed, he said, "So we're up $50 billion." Economists note that whatever the source, the payout would still divert federal resources as debt tops $40 trillion and Trump's economic approval rating lags in the low 30s.