“Wisconsinites have seen through and rejected billionaires’ attempts to buy their votes before, and they will again in November.” -WisDems Chair Devin Remiker

MADISON, Wis. — New reporting from WPR details how Wisconsin Republicans refuse to condemn Donald Trump’s proposal to bribe voters with $5,000 checks if Republicans win in the midterms—with some Wisconsin Republicans like Derrick Van Orden going so far as to call it a “fantastic idea.” 

WPR: Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation Split Over $5K ‘Trump Dividend’

  • Wisconsin’s congressional delegation is split over President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $5,000 checks to every American adult if Republicans win in the midterms.
  • Speaking at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas this week, Trump pledged to give $5,000 to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate. The plan, dubbed the “Trump Dividend,” could cost more than $1 trillion and would need approval from Congress.
  • Wisconsin’s congressional Democrats have largely framed the proposal as a political stunt to buy votes, while Republicans either embraced it or appeared noncommittal.
  • U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, who is running for Wisconsin governor and has long been a staunch Trump ally, backed the idea.
  • “We have seen enormous amounts of taxpayer money wasted or lost to fraud, so when there is an opportunity to put money back into the hands of hardworking Americans, I will support it,” he said in a written statement. 
  • U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, a longtime Trump ally, told Spectrum News that he thought the Trump Dividend was a “fantastic idea.”
  • “I think that it can sway people to vote for Republicans,” he told the TV network.
  • Brian Schimming, chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, told Spectrum News that the president’s proposal was a bit of a surprise to Republicans at the convention, but he liked the idea.
  • Across the aisle, Democrats framed Trump’s proposal as an attempt to bribe Americans ahead of the midterm elections. Devin Remiker, who chairs the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, called the proposal part of a “political game” and an “insulting attempt at bribery dressed up as a promise.”
  • “Wisconsinites have seen through and rejected billionaires’ attempts to buy their votes before, and they will again in November,” he said in a statement.
  • Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin said in a statement that Trump and his allies in Congress have “caused costs to skyrocket” through the war in Iran and the president’s use of tariffs.
  • “Instead of actually changing course, he’s just trying to pay off voters. Wisconsinites are so much smarter than that,” Baldwin said. “Wisconsin families don’t want more campaign gimmicks and empty promises; they need real relief.”
  • U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, said in a statement this isn’t the first time Trump has offered Americans checks, saying the administration previously made similar dividend proposals for tariff revenues and government spending cuts.
  • “We’ve never seen one. And we won’t see this one either,” he stated. “Attempting to bribe people when you have no credibility isn’t a place of strength. It’s a sign of desperation.”
  • Similarly, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, said the president’s proposed dividend will end up being “another broken promise” by the administration.
  • “In the Trump economy, Americans are struggling to make ends meet, while he’s made billions,” Moore said in a statement. “Trump has only made life worse for working people, and the American people know that.”