Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Thursday he cannot support President Donald Trump’s proposed $5,000 dividend to American adults in its current form, telling Fox News host Jesse Watters he would only back the idea if it were rewritten as a tax refund tied to work.
Cruz made the comments during a Fox News segment covering the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, where Trump unveiled the payment plan a day earlier. Asked directly whether he would vote for a $5,000 check, Cruz said his support “depends on how it’s structured.”
“I would like to see it structured as a tax refund,” Cruz said. “I would be all for structuring it as a tax refund.”
Cruz drew a clear line on eligibility, rejecting the blanket payment Trump described to the convention crowd.
“But I think we should be incentivizing work. I don’t think we should be paying people that are not working, particularly those that are physically able to work, but choosing not to,” Cruz said.
Cruz’s position places him among a growing number of Republicans skeptical of the plan. According to Forbes, he has aligned himself with outgoing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has pushed for a tax break over direct checks, though Cruz has avoided directly criticizing Trump.
Other Republicans have raised sharper objections. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) called the proposal “extraordinarily costly,” noting it appears to include no income cap. Paying $5,000 to nearly 270 million American adults would cost more than $1 trillion, adding to a national debt that has already surpassed $40 trillion. Republican donor Joe Lonsdale went further, describing the plan as “bread and circus bribes.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) declined to commit to bringing the proposal to a floor vote, telling Fox News, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
The friction comes as Cruz lays groundwork for a possible 2028 presidential campaign. He has quietly gauged support from potential backers and has made three trips to Iowa this year. Asked how much a Trump endorsement would matter in a future run, Cruz declined to call it decisive.
“It carries weight, but I think the voters are going to make their own determination,” Cruz said.
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