$1,776 bonus checks about to arrive for 115,000 sailors and Marines in San Diego County

The $1,776 bonus checks the Trump administration is giving to active-duty service members will go to an estimated 115,000 sailors, Marines and Coast Guard personnel in San Diego County, where many are struggling to pay for food and housing.

The one-time gifts, which are expected to be delivered by Christmas, collectively add up to roughly $202 million, much of which will be spent locally, in one of the nation’s largest military communities.

The windfall was announced on Wednesday when President Donald Trump said in a nationally televised address that he is giving these “warrior dividends” to nearly 1.5 million service members, and some reserves, throughout the military. This will cost the government $2.6 billion, which is being subsidized by a boost in the Pentagon’s budget.

For some, the checks can’t arrive soon enough. Studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and RAND, a think tank, say that about one-quarter of service members have trouble finding enough food, mostly because salaries are low. Th...