President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of sending Americans a $2,000 check funded by revenue from tariffs, but don’t expect that money to arrive before the holidays.
Trump said Friday that people would receive the payments next year. Treasury Department data shows the U.S. collected $195 billion in total tariff revenue in the fiscal year that ended in September — a figure that includes money collected both before Trump returned to office and before his April “Liberation Day,” when he imposed sweeping new tariffs. It remains unclear how much of that revenue could realistically be used for direct payments.
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There are also major questions about how such a plan would work. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said not everyone would qualify for the proposed $2,000. He said the payments would be targeted toward “working families” and would include an “income limit.”
“President Trump is committed to getting money back to families,” Bessent said.
Even if the administration settles on a plan, it would still require approval from Congress. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has introduced the American Worker Rebate Act, which would direct a portion of record tariff revenue back to Americans, but the bill has stalled.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, relief checks were only issued after lawmakers passed legislation authorizing the payments and the president signed them into law.
