No, the U.S. government hasn’t approved $1,000 stimulus checks upon Trump’s return to office

Soon after President Donald Trump took office Jan. 20, social media users claimed he approved a new $1,000 stimulus program for all Americans.

A Jan. 20 Facebook post shared a video with a still image of Trump and text that read "Newly approved 2025 stimulus. Claim now."

"The relief stimulus officially passed," the video’s narrator said. "A $1,000 stimulus card program has just been launched to help with your gas and bills. But it won’t last long."

The video told viewers to click the link attached to the Facebook post to answer "four quick questions" to receive the card, which could be used "for anything you need."

Another Facebook post, shared Jan. 22, made a similar claim. It showed clips of Trump signing documents and talking. A narrator claimed the government approved a "$1,000 emergency relief card" as a "cost of living stimulus to help every American."

These posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

Don’t fall for these promises of quick cash. They’re scams.

Since Trump’s second term started four days ago, Congress has not passed any bills approving $1,000 stimulus cards for all Americans.

On Dec. 20, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service said it will issue automatic payments through January 2025 to people who qualified for the Recovery Rebate Credit but did not claim it in their 2021 tax returns. That refundable credit is available to people who did not receive the COVID-19 pandemic-related stimulus payments known as economic impact payments.

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Threads posts

stated on January 5, 2025 in a post

“22 states will not be certifying the (2024) election.”

The IRS will inform eligible taxpayers through a letter, and the agency will deliver the payments through direct deposit or by paper check. It does not require people to click a link to a sketchy website. It requires no action at all.

By contrast, these Facebook posts link to nondescript websites asking people to enter their name, email and phone number. The websites are not official federal government sites. Legitimate government websites use ".gov" or ".mil" domains in their addresses.

PolitiFact has checked several similar claims about nonexistent government programs that promise to help pay for groceries and cover other expenses.

The U.S. government warns the public about online scams, saying, "The government does not offer free money or grants to people for personal needs." People can report scams to the Federal Trade Commission.

We rate the claim that after Trump took office, the U.S. government approved a $1,000 stimulus program for all Americans False.