President Donald Trump said that his proposed $2,000 tariff dividend payments to Americans are likely to come next year.
“We’re going to be issuing dividends later on, somewhere prior to, you know, probably the middle of next year, a little bit later than that. Thousands of dollars for individuals of moderate income, middle income,” Trump said, while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Monday.
Why It Matters
Trump has drawn attention to the revenue generated by his wide-ranging tariffs, which sparked global trade tensions earlier this year, and mentioned the possibility of citizens receiving a share of them in the form of checks. But there has been no concrete plans for such a scheme and there are obstacles to overcome in order to deliver it.
His latest comments give the clearest indication on the possible timeline of the checks.
What To Know
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of giving Americans a check from revenue of his tariffs, which he said on Monday have generated “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
He has said that the checks would be given to lower- and middle-income Americans.
Trump has not specified how those income brackets would be defined, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News last week that they would be for families making less than $100,000.
Trump administration officials have said that the proposal would require congressional approval, and have expressed more caution about the plan than the president.
When asked on Sunday by Fox News whether Americans would receive the checks, Bessent said “we will see, we need legislation for that.”Â
Bessent previously said that the checks could take “lots of forms,” and could possibly come in the shape of already-promised tax cuts, a different format to the one-time payments Trump has appeared to describe.
Experts have previously cast doubt on whether the tariffs have generated enough revenue to cover the checks as Trump proposes.Â
The federal government raised $195 billion in customs duties through the fiscal year 2025, according to data from the Treasury Department.Â
Erica York, the Tax Foundation’s vice president of federal tax policy, previously estimated that the proposed $2,000 tariff dividends would cost nearly $300 billion, even when excluding high earners, which she classed as those making more than $100,000 a year.
What People Are Saying
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters on Thursday: “It’s something that will require legislation but if you look at how much tariff revenue has been coming in, then there would actually be enough room to cover those checks and not go into the rest of the budget.”Â
Republican Representative Ryan Zinke told Politico: “I think it’s an idea that needs to be fleshed out,” adding: We’re $36, $37 trillion in debt. To me, I think our bus is full. If you want to add something, then take something off the bus. That’s just me.”
What Happens Next
For the payments to materialize by mid-2026, the administration will have to craft legislation and secure congressional support, neither of which is guaranteed.
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