President Trump proudly revealed that his administration is doling out Independence Day-themed $1,776 “warrior dividend” checks to service members before Christmas.
“Military service members will receive a special … warrior dividend before Christmas,” Trump announced during his address to the nation on Wednesday night. “A warrior dividend in honor of our nation’s founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776.”
“And the checks are already on the way.”
It’s not immediately clear where Trump is getting the legal authority to send out those checks. Earlier in the day, the Senate sent the National Defense Authorization Act to Trump’s desk, which included a 3.8% pay hike for service members.
There are an estimated 1.45 million service members in the US military, meaning the initiative will likely cost about $2.6 billion.
Trump implied that the bonus checks were funded by his sweeping tariffs, many of which could be quashed by the Supreme Court after it signaled skepticism last month about his legal justification for many of those duties.
“We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs,” he added. “Nobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations to everybody.”
The president has also publicly teased plans to send about $2,000 tariff dividend checks to American families below an unspecified income level next year.
But that effort likely faces an uphill battle in clearing Congress and potential trouble from the Supreme Court, after a majority of justices appears to express skepticism over his use of International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) powers to impose the tariffs.
Trump did not mention his tariff dividend plan in his national address on Wednesday evening.
The checks to service members come as Trump is trying to ramp up his message on affordability issues.
Last month, Democrats swept the off-year elections, largely on a message about the rising cost of living in the country. Democrats’ strong performance fueled GOP fears that they are on the verge of facing a midterm drubbing next year.
Trump used most of his speech to tout his various efforts aimed at boosting affordability. He also dedicated a significant portion of his roughly 20-minute address to ding Democrats’ past handling of the economy as he seeks to reclaim the issue.
“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” he declared in the address, which took place in the Diplomatic Reception Room adorned with festive Christmas decorations.
In addition to paying homage to the country’s founding with the Independence Day-themed $1,776 check, Trump also took note of how next year will be America’s 250th anniversary.
“We’re poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen,” Trump declared. “Soon, we will host the World Cup and the Olympics, both of which I got, but most importantly, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
“There could be no more fitting tribute to this epic milestone than to complete the comeback of America that began just one year ago,” he went on. ” We are respected again like we have never been respected before. Each and every one of you, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. God bless you all!”
