It's a shell game. Trump is taking money from soldiers' housing subsidies to "give" them $1,776 "warrior dividend" check

[demmiblue]

It's a shell game. Trump is taking money from soldiers' housing subsidies to "give" them ,776 "warrior dividend" checks.

— Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) 2025-12-18T15:14:13.594Z

Trump rebrands Congressionally-approved troop housing subsidy as ‘warrior dividend’ bonus

President Donald Trump’s $1,776 checks for more than a million troops, announced Wednesday, come from Congressionally-allocated reconciliation funds intended to subsidize housing allowances for service members, a senior administration official confirmed.

During a prime-time TV address, Trump said he was “proud to announce” that “1,450,000 military service members will receive a special, we call ‘warrior dividend,’ before Christmas.” He added that to honor the nation’s founding, “we are sending every soldier $1,776. Think of that. And the checks are already on the way.”

The senior administration official told Defense One in an emailed statement late Wednesday evening that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Pentagon to “disburse $2.6 billion as a one-time basic allowance for housing supplement” to all eligible service members ranks 0-6 and below.

“Congress appropriated $2.9 billion to the Department of War to supplement the Basic Allowance for Housing entitlement within The One Big Beautiful Bill,” the senior official said. “Approximately 1.28 million active component military members and 174,000 Reserve component military members will receive this supplement.”

https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/12/trump-rebrands-congressionally-approved-troop-housing-subsidy-warrior-dividend-bonus/410250/?oref=d1-featured-river-top

[lame54]

1. Bribing them to follow his illegal orders

[Frasier Balzov]

2. Warrior dividend means he regards them as mercenaries.

Every patriot hopes they turn their guns on him.

[Upthevibe]

3. Allison Gill explained it

on The Stephanie Miller show (she's a Vet).

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Trump's $1,776 bonus to troops exposed as money already owed for housing: report

This is pure fraud by trump

Trump's ,776 bonus to troops exposed as money already owed for housing: report

www.rawstory.com/trump-warrio...

— Anne Grete (GoogeliArt) 🦋💙PD (@googeliart.bsky.social) 2025-12-18T17:15:13.532Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-warrior-dividend-bonus-sca/

President Donald Trump announced in his prime time address Wednesday night that he was sending $1,776 checks to more than a million military service members, but a senior administration official confirmed they were already entitled to that money.

The president told viewers he was “proud to announce” that “1,450,000 military service members will receive a special, we call ‘warrior dividend,’ before Christmas," saying the dollar amount was intended to "honor the nation’s founding" and promised "the checks are already on the way" – but Defense One reported the funds were already being sent out by Congress.

“Congress appropriated $2.9 billion to the Department of War to supplement the Basic Allowance for Housing entitlement within The One Big Beautiful Bill,” the senior official said. “Approximately 1.28 million active component military members and 174,000 Reserve component military members will receive this supplement.”

In other words, the checks are being taken out of congressionally allocated reconciliation funds intended to subsidize service members' housing allowances.

[Prairie Gates]

5. Congress allocates $2.9 billion; Trump cuts checks for $2.6 billion

I'm not a mathematician, but...

Had the administration distributed to each of the 1.45 million eligible the round number of $2000, that would hit $2.9 billion on the button. But by using the goofy number of $1776, suddenly $225 million is in the wind. Any enterprising journalist wanna follow up on that?

[haele]

7. There's handling fees on those disbursements.

So, depending on the methods and "color of money" it is, that $2.9 billion allocated (or pre-allocated)at the congressional level can end up being $2.8 or $2.7 billion before it hits DFAS to go into the paychecks.
There's also arcane contractural processes in there, like maybe a ceiling to ensure all eligible service members can be paid throughout the year, especially those who have a major event that suddenly makes them eligible for a housing allotment, like getting married in March, or becoming a custodial parent.
Appropriations math is not general kitchen table math.

[Prairie Gates]

9. Oh, I'm sure it's more complicated than my goofy calculations

There does seem to be some money in the wind, though.

[haele]

10. I agree. Probably going to a "DoD/W officers lounge" in his

his big beautiful ballroom.

[Prairie Gates]

11. Ha!

[haele]

6. Doing the math, that housing allotment ends up being -

an extra $1925 on average per recipient for the year - an extra $150/$160 a month or, since they get paid twice a month, $72 -$80 a paycheck on average that isn't taxed.
So, he's taking $1776 out of that $1925, leaving that average military member that gets a housing allowance with a raise of $12.41 or so a month that isn't taxable; that's a whole $6 and change a paycheck.

Whereas that $1776 will end up being anywhere from $850 to $1400 in one paycheck, depending on state of residence, rank and pay grade.

Wow.

He's the Affordability President, amIright?

[obamanut2012]

8. Yup, and it's also taxable

[TomSlick]

13. If this is a supplement to the military housing allowance, it shouldn't be taxable.

The housing allowance isn't taxable. My guess is that a supplement wouldn't be taxable either.

[dalton99a]

12. .

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

14. From one pocket to the other pocket