Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said charging up to $5 million for visa renewals could raise $500 billion without new taxes or debt — a target that would require roughly 100,000 renewals a year at that price. Congress has passed no funding plan for any of the proposals.
On Sept. 12, the White House pitched selling Intel stock and border fees to fund the $5,000 checks, and administration officials separately suggested tariff revenues and reconciliation. Giving $5,000 to each eligible adult would cost $1 trillion to $1.3 trillion; Republican lawmakers have pushed back on the cost and the pre-election timing.