President Trump’s December announcement that every active-duty service member will receive a $1,776 “warrior dividend” landed exactly where it should — with the troops — and came wrapped in patriotic symbolism ahead of the holidays. The move was framed as a direct thank-you to the men and women who secure our liberties, and millions of Americans watched a president who remembered the military when most Washington insiders were busy scoring political points.
Washington fact-checkers rushed in to insist the checks were paid for entirely by tariffs, but the administration quickly clarified the payments are actually being disbursed out of a congressionally approved Pentagon housing supplement tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill. Irrelevant budget quarrels should not diminish the fact that the money is getting to troops fast, but voters deserve honesty about the bookkeeping — if you claim tariffs paid for it, own that claim or correct it.
Make no mistake: conservatives should applaud a president who puts troops first and finds ways — legislative or administrative — to reward sacrifice. This $1,776 payment, intended for roughly 1.45 million service members and costing about $2.6 billion, is small change in the grand scheme of a bloated federal ledger but big in morale and symbolism for families who have given so much. Critics on the left and in the media can yammer about process; the real test is whether the administration continues to prioritize veterans and readiness.
That said, the tariff fantasy narrative needs clearing up: independent analysis and reporting make clear tariff receipts alone were never going to bankroll large-scale handouts to Americans without economic side effects. Tariffs are a tool to correct trade imbalances and defend American industry, not a cash cow for indefinite stimulus, and conservatives should insist on fiscal realism even as we cheer for the troops.
Now to the other looming Capitol drama: the enhanced Obamacare subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts, and Republicans face immense pressure from voters in districts across the country to prevent premium spikes. There is a real choice: cave to Democratic demands for permanent expansions of an unsustainable entitlement, or stand firm and push market-based reforms that lower costs without expanding dependency.
Conservatives should be clear-eyed and bold — offer a responsible, pro-growth alternative that protects the most vulnerable while rolling back incentives that balloon premiums and bureaucracy. Senators like Rand Paul and other free-market voices have already proposed ideas to restore consumer power and competition in insurance markets, and the GOP would be wise to champion those plans rather than reflexively writing bigger checks that entrench Obamacare forever.
If Republicans cave and extend subsidies without serious reform, they will reward the very entitlement expansion that has strangled affordability and created perverse incentives. The smarter conservative path is to hold the line, protect those in immediate need with targeted, temporary fixes if necessary, and use this crisis as the opening to deliver long-term relief through competition, transparency, and choices that put patients — not Washington bureaucrats — back in charge.
