Trump floats tariff rebate checks for Americans

President Donald Trump says he’s considering sending rebate checks to Americans, funded by the billions in new tariff revenue collected under his administration.

Trump’s statement 

Speaking to reporters, Trump recently hinted that rebates could soon be on the way to U.S. households. “We’re thinking about a little rebate. But the big thing we want to do is pay down debt. But we’re thinking about a rebate,” he said.

Federal debt

Currently, the federal debt exceeds $36 trillion and is expected to rise further following the passing of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which includes major tax cuts and increased government spending. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, the nation’s deficit could reportedly grow by $3.4 trillion over the next decade, citing estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Who would qualify? 

The federal government has collected approximately $100 billion in tariff revenue since Trump’s import duties went into effect earlier this year. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business that this figure could grow to $300 billion annually. Trump did not outline specific eligibility criteria for the rebates but suggested they could go to “people of a certain income level.” 

Rebate checks 

This isn’t the first time Trump has floated the idea of rebate checks. Earlier this year, he said he was considering using 20% of the savings from the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, to fund payments to Americans. Rebate checks were a key feature of the government’s economic response during the pandemic. Three rounds of payments were distributed to most Americans, two under Trump’s first term and one under former President Joe Biden, to help offset the financial strain caused by the crisis.

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