President Donald Trump announced during his Wednesday evening address to the nation that approximately 1.28 million active-duty and 174,000 reserve component military members will receive “Warrior Dividend” checks worth $1,776 in the coming days.
“In honor of our Nation’s founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776 and the checks are already on their way,” Trump said during the national address.
All active-duty service members in the pay grades of 0-6 and below and on active duty as of November 30, 2025, as well as reserve “component members on active-duty orders of 31 days or more as of November 30, 2025, are eligible to receive a Warrior Dividend, according to the White House.
The one-time, nontaxable lump sum checks, according to U.S. Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, represent the upcoming 250th anniversary of the U.S. and the history of the nation’s service members.
“This Warrior Dividend serves as yet another example of how the War Department is working to improve the quality of life for our military personnel and their families,” Hegseth said.
The Department of War said the checks should be sent to all eligible service members by this Saturday, December 20.
“To every American warrior, President Trump and I, and the War Department, have your back. Enjoy the Warrior Dividend. You’ve earned it. Thank you for your service, and we thank you for your sacrifice, and we wish you and your family a very merry Christmas,” Hegseth added.
Introducing the (tax free!) Warrior Dividend. pic.twitter.com/dz1Ol8kzZS
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 18, 2025
Aside from his announcement of Warrior Dividends for service members, Trump emphasized during Wednesday’s address that he inherited a nation in serious economic and social distress, blaming the previous administration for record inflation, rising prices, and declining affordability.
He acknowledged how Americans’ savings were eroded and everyday expenses became unmanageable, and presented his presidency as a rapid turnaround from what he described as economic failure.
“The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our Treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast,” the president said.
Trump credited tariffs as a key driver of economic growth, claiming to have secured trillions of dollars in domestic investment, leading to new factories, higher wages, and stronger national security.
He also promoted sweeping tax cuts passed through the One Big Beautiful Bill, including eliminating taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits.
“It’s not done yet, but boy are we making progress,” the president added.
Trump also pointed to his administration’s overwhelming success with border security, noting how the U.S.experienced an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration that brought crime, strained public services, and worsened housing and labor markets under the Biden administration.
He explained how his administration has quickly secured the border without new legislation, deported criminal offenders, dismantled drug cartels, and sharply reduced drug trafficking into the country.
“For the past seven months, zero illegal aliens have been allowed into our country, which everyone said was absolutely impossible…As it turned out, we didn’t need legislation. We just needed a new president. We inherited the worst border anywhere in the world, and we quickly turned it into the strongest border in the history of our country,” Trump said.
Addressing healthcare, Trump criticized the Affordable Care Act – calling it the “Unaffordable Care Act” – as costly and insurer-driven, and proposed to give individuals more direct control over healthcare spending.
“I want the money to go directly to the people so you can buy your own healthcare. You’ll get much better healthcare at a much lower price. The only losers will be insurance companies that have gotten rich and the Democrat Party,” Trump said.
Touching on energy, Trump said energy prices have dropped and will continue to “fall dramatically” as he took the steps to declare a national energy emergency, expand domestic production, and roll back green energy restrictions.
Trump also discussed housing affordability, attributing high rents and mortgage costs to illegal immigration and rising interest rates under the Biden administration.
He said his administration is working to reverse these trends, lowering borrowing costs, and increasing housing availability.
“In the new year, I will announce some of the most aggressive housing reform plans in American history,” the president added.
Trump concluded Wednesday’s address by asserting that America is once again strong, respected, and positioned for historic economic growth as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.
“Our nation is strong. America is respected, and our country is back stronger than ever before. We’re poised for an economic boom, the likes of which the world has never seen,” Trump said.
“When the world looks at us next year, let them see a nation that is loyal to its citizens, faithful to its workers, confident to its identity, certain to its destiny and the envy of the entire globe. We are respected again, like we have never been respected before. To each and every one of you, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” he concluded.
Watch Trump’s full address:
President Trump Delivers an Address to the Nation https://t.co/MFdbVqP2Ty
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 18, 2025
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
