President Trump announced a new public retirement plan with federal contributions to ensure all Americans profit from stock market gains.
Starting next year, the federal government will match up to $1,000 in contributions annually in new public retirement accounts available to all American workers, Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
“We have millions and millions of people, ‘cause the stock market has done so well, hitting all those records, your 401ks are way up – yet half of all working Americans still do not have access to a retirement plan with matching contributions from an employer,” the president said.
President Trump announced a new public retirement plan with federal contributions. via REUTERS“To remedy this gross disparity, I am announcing that next year, my administration will give these oft forgotten American workers — great people, people who built our country — access to the same type of retirement plan offered to every federal worker.”
More than 44% of full-time American workers, or 40.6 million people, do not participate in a retirement plan at all, while nearly 51%, or 48.8 million, do not benefit from an employer match, according to the White House.
A White House official told The Post that the retirement plans would be similar to one offered to federal employees known as the Thrift Savings Plan, which offers access to low-fee funds that invest in short-term Treasuries and the S&P 500.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett has long pushed for a similar plan, urging lawmakers during the Biden administration to open the government’s Thrift Savings Plan to private-sector workers who don’t already have employer-matched retirement plans.
The Trump administration might also be looking to launch the accounts without going through Congress — possibly by resurrecting former President Barack Obama’s MyRA program, according to a Semafor report.
The short-lived program – which only drew 30,000 participants before Trump scrapped it in 2017 – created “starter” accounts with tax advantages similar to Roth IRAs.
A revamped version of the Obama accounts could potentially be paired with the Saver’s Match, a revamped version of its predecessor, the Saver’s Credit, according to the report.
Starting next year, the federal government will match up to $1,000 in contributions annually in new public retirement accounts. piter2121 – stock.adobe.comA White House official confirmed to The Post that Americans will have access to the Saver’s Match, which was signed into law via the Secure 2.0 Act in 2022.
The matching contributions would be funded by Congress through the previously-approved Secure 2.0 legislation, the official told The Post.
Starting in 2028, individuals can receive a federal match of up to 50% on the first $2,000 in annual contributions to a workplace retirement plan or IRA based on their 2027 tax returns.
The Trump administration is also working to launch a new structure to ensure workers can take advantage of these accounts even when they change jobs, according to the White House.
Private philanthropists will also be able to contribute to these retirement plans, similar to the president’s Trump accounts for kids.
The White House did not answer questions about how the federal government will fund the matching contributions or when exactly the accounts will launch next year.
President Trump exits the House Chamber after delivering the State of the Union address. via REUTERSTrump recently said he was “very seriously” looking into Australia’s “superannuation” retirement system, in which employers are required to fund workers’ savings accounts.
It’s just the latest effort from the White House to encourage Americans to save in accounts that track markets.
Since Trump’s second term started in January 2025, the S&P 500 has gained roughly 15%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recently broke past the 50,000 mark for the first time ever.
Starting July 4, parents will be able to open tax-advantaged investment accounts – known as Trump accounts, or 530As – for citizens under 18 with Social Security numbers.
For kids born from 2025 through 2028, the US Treasury will seed their accounts with $1,000.
A growing number of employers have pledged to match the initial $1,000 contributions, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock, Dell Technologies and News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones and The Post.
Account contributions are limited to $5,000 per year, with the employer portion restricted to $2,500 annually.
The government will invest savings from Trump accounts – which can be used to jumpstart a business or pay for school or a down payment on a home – in low-cost index funds.
They don’t have the same tax advantages as 529 accounts or Roth IRAs, which are primarily used to save for college and retirement, respectively.
Withdrawals will be taxed, and they are not permitted until the beneficiary turns 18.
But the program makes it easier for major corporations and philanthropists to contribute to the investment accounts on a broad scale.
Rap star Nicki Minaj pledged to contribute $150,000 to $300,000, and Michael and Susan Dell have announced a historic $6.25 billion donation to the effort.
Immediately after discussing the public retirement plan on Tuesday night, Trump announced a ban on insider stock trading among members of Congress – one of the few initiatives that some Democrats stood and applauded for alongside Republicans.






