Ron Johnson Says US “Can’t Afford” $2K Checks as Trump Feasts With Billionaires

Senate Republican Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) has said that the U.S. “can’t afford” to implement Donald Trump’s proposal to send out $2,000 checks to supposedly offset costs of tariffs — just days after the president wined and dined some of the richest people on the planet at an extravagant black tie dinner in the White House.

“Look, we can’t afford it. I wish we were in a position to return the American public their money, but we’re not,” Johnson said in an interview with Fox. He went on to complain about the federal deficit.

“President Trump had deficits, about $800 billion. Obama, in his last four years, $550 billion a year. Now we’re $2 trillion? Completely unacceptable. We have to start focusing on that and doing something about it,” he went on.

Earlier this month, Trump said on Truth Social that the government was going to give $2,000 to Americans next year — seemingly in an attempt to rescue his unpopular tariff policy that is estimated to cost households thousands of dollars a year while throwing the economy into chaos.

The idea is unlikely to take off, as Republicans like Johnson are opposed to the idea. Johnson, a supposed fiscal hawk and one of the richest people in Congress, told reporters recently that potential tariff revenue “ought to go to try and bring down” the government deficit.

Though a far-fetched idea, the tariff checks could potentially provide a small bandaid of relief to Americans — millions of whom are now struggling with their health care premiums skyrocketing or a loss of health care altogether because of Trump and the GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and refusal to extend health care tax subsidies. Rising premiums will cost households hundreds or thousands of dollars more a month, while a loss of Medicaid coverage will lead to death for an estimated 51,000 Americans a year.

Johnson was initially opposed to the Republican reconciliation bill, saying that it didn’t cut Medicaid and Affordable Care Act spending — which he said causes “legalized fraud” — enough to offset the bill’s enormous tax cuts for the rich. He changed his mind later after securing a commitment from Trump to further cut spending, and voted for the bill.

Johnson frequently speaks out against sweeping tax cuts like the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but then ultimately gives in to the Republican consensus to pass the legislation. In the case of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the One Big Beautiful Bill, wealthy Americans and corporations benefit enormously, sapping trillions away from the working class to make the richest 1 percent of Americans even richer.

To supposedly offset cuts, Johnson often supports, instead, cutting programs that benefit hundreds of millions of Americans not in the top tax brackets. Last week, for instance, Johnson co-led the introduction of a resolution that condemns “earmark” spending, which refers to spending for projects within congressional districts or states.

Johnson’s comment, meanwhile, comes as Trump is flaunting his extravagant wealth for foreign leaders and corporate executives. Last week, Trump held a black tie dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that was attended by dozens of CEOs, including Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.

The dinner was criticized as an absurd show of wealth at a time when working class Americans are increasingly struggling to afford basic needs.

The “lavish White House dinner showed us the global oligarchy coming together in plain sight,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) in a statement. “These are the forces now shaping American foreign policy and the world economy. Not human rights, not democratic values, not the security of the American people, but the personal financial interests of Trump and his fellow oligarchs.”