Both paths, funding government programs and refunds to taxpayers, add to the debt. The difference is where the money goes first. A $5,000 refund or dividend is tangible relief: households get cash and spend it on what they need. Programs like the Inflation Reduction Act also cost hundreds of billions to more than a trillion over time, but they finance government-chosen goals—credits, subsidies, agencies—with no guarantee ordinary taxpayers feel an equivalent return. Put money in the pockets of taxpayers. They will spend it. That stimulates the economy and provides revenue.
Paying out a $5,000 dividend to nearly 270 million American adults would cost more than $1 trillion and add to the national debt that recently passed the $40 trillion mark.
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