Trump Proposes $2K Tariff Dividend: Who Would Qualify

President Donald Trump this weekend suggested giving most Americans at least $2,000 from tariff revenue collected by his administration, but it’s unclear if all Americans would qualify if the idea turns out to be more than a trial balloon.

It’s unclear how much support there is for stimulus checks, or how they would be distributed. Trump previously floated the idea of dividends to return a portion of the savings from the Department of Government Efficiency to the American people, but the rebates never materialized.

Trump’s posts came as the Supreme Court appears skeptical of his broad claim that he has the authority to impose tariffs at his discretion.

Here are some things to know:

What Did Trump Say?

Trump floated the idea in a series of posts on his Truth Social platform. On Saturday, he wrote, “I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE.”

In one post on Sunday, Trump proposed Republicans should distribute funds directly to individuals' health savings accounts, which allow people to save money pre-tax for specific medical expenses.

In another post Sunday, he wrote, “A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”

Trump also wrote that tariff revenue “will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion.”

What Do Others Say?

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he hasn’t spoken with the president on the topic, but that “the $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms, in lots of ways.”

“It could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president’s agenda — no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security – deductibility on auto loans,” he said.

Any proposal in the Senate would have to wait until after the government reopens, Bessent said.

“The president is posting about it, but again, we have got to get the government reopened before we do this. We are not going to negotiate with the Democrats until they reopen the government. It’s very simple,” he said.

On CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, dismissed the president’s posts as a bargaining tactic to reopen the government.

“He’s brainstorming and trying to help the Senate come up with a deal that can get the government open,” Hassett said. “Everybody believes that people should have health care, and so why not take the people who have higher health care premiums and just mail them a check and let them decide.”

Hassett said the idea only surfaced this weekend, and Congress hasn’t had a chance to give it much thought.

Has This Come Up Before?

Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley proposed legislation earlier this year to give $600 tariff rebates to nearly all Americans and their dependent children. The bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

Hawley said at the time he announced the legislation that it “would allow hardworking Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country.”