Appropriations chairman Tom Cole says the money would be better spent on defense or Social Security
Tom ColeUnited States Representative for Oklahoma's 4th district and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, in comments to Fox News Digital
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, whose committee would likely draft any such payment, told Fox News Digital he would prefer the money go to defense or to Social Security rather than to a universal $5,000 payment. He was also reported as skeptical that the dividend could be achieved.
“I'd rather use it to either bolster defense or save Social Security. I think that's a better use of the money.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Trump’s $5,000 election pledge: policy dividend or vote-buying?
At the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 9, 2026, Donald Trump promised $5,000 for each adult American citizen if Republicans retained both the House and Senate. Supporters presented the proposed dividend as a way to share economic gains; critics called the election condition an improper inducement or questioned whether tariff revenue could finance it. Other responses raised narrower questions about timing, cost and whether a broad policy promise amounts to illegal vote-buying.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
A survey of House Republican opinion eight days after Trump announced the pledge, gathering direct comment from members including the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and the chairman of the Republican Study Committee. It records the split between outright opposition, conditional support that would narrow eligibility, and unqualified endorsement, and notes the unresolved question of whether the payment would require congressional authorisation at all.
Before the quotation
Trump announced the pledge at the Republican midterm convention on September 9 and said he did not think Congress would need to approve it. Speaker Mike Johnson said he assumed congressional action would be required.
After the quotation
The proposal would cost roughly $1.2 trillion. Cole's committee would likely play a major role in drafting the payment if it ran through Congress.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Cole rejects that use of the money and names two alternatives he considers better, which is criticism of the proposal itself rather than of its financing mechanics. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, since he does not rule the payment out in principle and speaks of preference rather than opposition. That loses because a stated preference for spending the same money elsewhere is a rejection of this proposal, not a condition under which he would support it.
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- People and groups discussed
- Donald Trump
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Read the full caseTrump tells a Kansas rally voters get nothing if Republicans lose
“If you elect a Republican House and a Republican Senate on November 3, you get $5,000,” … “And if you lose, you get nothing.”Read statement
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The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Trump has also been reiterating his most preposterous promise to pay off voters, claiming during recent campaign stops that his administration will give every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate next month.”Read statement
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“Like selling Trump U on cable TV. And about as reliable.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Appropriations chairman Tom Cole says the money would be better spent on defense or Social Security". First published: 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1057-house-appropriations-committee-chairman-tom-cole-whose-committee