President Donald Trump is again teasing a check to the American people, but it is unlikely to happen.
“People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!” Trump said on Truth Social on Nov. 9. “A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”
His comments came after the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether Trump’s tariffs are legal and as he tried to reclaim success on the economy after Democrats won big in state and local elections on Nov. 4. It isn’t the first time he’s floated a direct check to Americans. He previously said he would consider giving some money cut from federal agencies under the work of Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) back to the public. That never happened.
A bill to issue tariff rebates introduced earlier this summer did not move out of committee.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump’s idea could be something more diffuse than a check on ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
“I haven’t spoken to the president about this yet, but, you know, it could — the $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms,” Bessent said on Nov. 9, according to a transcript from ABC. “You know, it could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president’s agenda. You know, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. Deductibility of auto loans. So, you know, those are substantial deductions that, you know, are being financed in the tax bill.”
Can Trump send $2,000 checks alone?
Not legally, the power of the purse remains with Congress.
The stimulus checks sent out during the pandemic were passed by Congress and then signed by Trump, for example.
Tariff rebate check idea previously introduced in Congress
This isn’t the first time a tariff revenue check to the American people has been floated. In July, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, introduced the American Worker Rebate Act. It would give at least $600 to qualifying individuals out of the revenue earned by tariffs.
It was introduced shortly after Trump had signaled support for the idea, saying “we’re thinking about a rebate,” but said he was prioritizing the national debt.
Hawley’s bill was referred to the Committee on Finance, where it received no further action.
Supreme Court to decide if Trump admin needs to return tariff money
On Nov. 5, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether the president can impose sweeping tariffs on nearly every good imported to the U.S. Lower courts found that Trump overstepped when he invoked a 1977 law meant for emergencies to impose tariffs on imports from most countries.
If the high court rules against the president, the government could be asked to refund billions of dollars already collected in tariff revenue.
Contributing: Michelle Del Rey, Maureen Groppe, Bart Jansen, Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
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