As campaigning for the 2026 midterm elections kicks up, President Donald Trump has pledged to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate this November.
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Republicans → kick → House
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promises the checks will be delivered without adding to the national deficit, an economic policy Kabuki Theater, possibly paid for with visa fees.
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checks → promise → fees
And they’re right to be.
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they → ’re → ?
The Federal Reserve just hiked interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point because of persistent inflation.
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Reserve → hike → inflation
A new round of stimulus checks would only exacerbate this problem.
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round → exacerbate → problem
If we are to learn any lessons from 2020, it is that stimulus spending caused the inflation we are still fighting today.
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we → learn → inflation
Short-term stimulus spending, particularly in such a broadly distributed way, can prevent upticks in unemployment, household bankruptcy, and medical and credit card debt in times of emergency.
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spending → distribute → emergency
But it should be done so sparingly amid serious wars or epidemics, not for political gain.
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it → do → gain
The COVID-19 pandemic was over half a decade ago at this point, but its lingering effect on our economy remains.
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effect → linger → economy
Grocery bills, for example, remain noticeably high after 6 years at 33%, which averages at 5.5% annually, vastly higher than the expected 2% to 3% annual inflation.
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which → remain → inflation
From the housing market to healthcare insurance premiums, prices are up, and people are noticing.
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people → notice → premiums
Voters consistently highlight inflation and the cost of living as the most important issues heading into the midterm elections.
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Voters → highlight → elections
While the president is right to turn his attention to the economy, stimulus checks are the wrong solution.
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checks → turn → economy
Republicans will never beat Democrats at their own game of government handouts.
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Republicans → beat → handouts
No check will match the Democratic Socialists of America’s litany of “free” promises, from universal healthcare to public transit.
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check → match → transit
Rather, the president and Republicans in Congress should fix the underlying impediments to big-picture economic growth.
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president → fix → growth
This includes bringing regulatory stability to emerging tech markets — such as artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency — while continuing to rein in spending and excess taxation.
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This → include → spending
In recent news, tech companies and everyday people alike are increasingly seeking action on establishing a federal framework for AI regulation.
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companies → seek → regulation
Similar work for crypto is stalled, as the CLARITY Act recently failed in the Senate.
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Act → stall → Senate
Taking up negotiations on these critical pieces of legislation can bring regulatory certainty to some of the highest-growth sectors in our modern economy.
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Taking → take → economy
And Republicans don’t have to stop there.
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Republicans → have → ?
They should also seek urgent action to address the impact continued involvement in Iran has had on gas prices and establish strategic carve-outs from tariffs for home construction materials and other resources for infrastructure development.
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involvement → seek → development
The economy is in a dire moment, and the public is demanding action.
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public → demand → action
But Republicans and the president shouldn’t veer off into the inflationary policies we’ve seen the by-product of so recently.
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we → veer → product
They must do the hard work to beat the DSA.
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They → do → DSA
And that requires serious legislating, not stimulus checks.
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that → require → legislating
The Aporia
