During his bellicose address to the nation, Trump announced that he is sending every member of the United States military a check in the amount of $1776 as a “warrior dividend.” While most of us don’t have any particular problem with giving our military a bonus payment, per se, this payment raises a host of issues, not the least of which is why is he doing this?

President Donald Trump’s promise Wednesday to pay troops a “warrior dividend” bonus is actually a military housing stipend already approved by Congress, and not a generous new White House program.

The rebrand, confirmed by a senior administration official and two congressional officials, follows a pattern for the president, who has previously claimed credit for routine military pay increases that weren’t his doing.

Initially, one would get the impression that this bonus was a gift from Trump to the troops. It’s not. It’s not his money that he’s gifting away, but our money. It’s not that he’s digging into his pocket, or coercing corporations to pony up funds to buy his transitory appreciation. It’s just the money American taxpayers are required to pay in the usual course of events. To the extent it can be thought a gift, it is a gift from us, not Trump.

Further, the president has no authority to spend money, whether for a good cause such as paying the troops or a self-aggrandizing cause such as changing the sign on the front of the Kennedy Center to put Trump’s name up top. But in this case, Congress did appropriate funds, except not for this purpose.

The $1,776 per person bonuses, unveiled by Trump in his nationwide address Wednesday night, will be covered with funding approved in the Big Beautiful Bill that passed in July, according to the congressional officials and later confirmed by the Pentagon.

The payouts — which will cost roughly $2.6 billion — will be a “one-time basic allowance for housing supplement to all eligible service members,” said the official, who like others, was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.

In other words, Trump is raiding the housing supplement to divert the funds from their appropriated purpose to his purpose.

But the money will tap into the $2.9 billion approved for military housing supplements as part of the congressional budget reconciliation package, according to the Hill officials. Lawmakers included the money amid concerns that housing stipends have not fully covered military families’ cost-of-living in recent years.

But then, what is his purpose?

Asked if he’d carry out an attack on a presidentially declared domestic terror org on US soil (e.g. Antifa), NORTHCOM Commander Gen. Guillot says he would – as long as it was lawful.

SENATOR REED: if the president declared an organization, a terrorist organization, or a DTO,… pic.twitter.com/vpxwq0SolK

— Ken Klippenstein (NSPM-7 Compliant) (@kenklippenstein) December 13, 2025

When all other guardrails fail, the final road block against a runaway executive is the military. Will Seal Team 6 murder political rivals upon command? Will the military ignore Posse Comitatus? If the president designates his detractors as enemies of the state, will the military take to the streets of America and do as ordered?

While the emboldened Secretary of War conceals evidence of his war crimes, yet orders that Senator Mark Kelly be targeted for his part in a video reminding the troops that they should not follow illegal orders, the generals who remain after the “disloyal” staff has been fired, following the legal analysis of the JAG officers who remain after the “disloyal” JAGs have been fired, appear ready, willing and sadly able to engage in whatever the president commands.

But what about the rank and file, the soldiers and sailors who actually pull the trigger with weapons aimed at their fellow Americans, who might be less concerned with keeping the hardware on their lapels than with the murder of their brothers and sisters?

“President Trump’s administration recognizes the hard work of our service members with this one-time warrior dividend, which places funds directly in the hands of our military members and their families,” the White House said in a statement.

Can Trump buy their loyalty for the $1776 bonus? When the normal guardrails of democracy fall, and the law is no longer honored by the guy in charge of the guns, the final guardrail is the military, which is left with the choice of whether to defend an individual or defend a nation and its Constitution. Is $1776 the price of buying off the last guardrail?