According to reports, President Donald Trump is weighing the idea of issuing stimulus checks to Americans from the funds generated from the increased tariffs on imported goods to the United States. He voiced the idea during a one-on-one interview with One America News Network (OANN) on Thursday (Oct. 2).
Trump remarked that the $37 trillion national debt is “very little, relatively speaking” because of the revenue being brought in from the tariffs. “With that being said, we’ll pay back debt, but we also might make a distribution to the people,” he continued, according to the New York Post. “We’re thinking maybe $1,000 to $2,000 — it would be great.”
When asked about the tariffs, Trump said, “They’re just starting to kick in,” adding, “but ultimately, your tariffs are going to be over a trillion dollars a year.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has maintained that the country would rake in $300 billion in tariff revenue by the end of the year. According to data from Fox Business, $215 billion has been accrued thus far since April.
The idea of a new phase of stimulus checks was picked up from Trump by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who introduced the American Worker Rebate Act passed in July. The bill would’ve called for checks of at least $600 for individual dependents and up to $2,400 to be sent to families of four from tariff revenue. It hasn’t picked up any traction in Congress.
Any disbursement of stimulus checks would have to be approved by Congress. It seems unlikely that there could be a consensus soon, as the government is on Day 3 of a shutdown. The tariffs are also currently in place despite an initial ruling in August by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Courts saying that the administration’s move wasn’t covered by an emergency powers law.
The case is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court in oral arguments in the first week of November. Bessent has argued that if the tariffs are removed, the U.S. would be forced to refund $750 billion to $1 trillion in collected and future tariff revenue. Another looming issue is the expected effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), which Trump signed into law on July 4. Observers note that it could add $3.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, offsetting any expected continued tariff gains.
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Photo: Getty
