Will we get tariff rebate checks? What the Trump administration says
(WJW/AP) – United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that although Congress is currently weighing the possibility of sending the American people more money due to tariffs, those checks wouldn't be coming anytime soon.
During an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box on Tuesday, Bessent said the revenue from import tariffs will first be put toward the U.S. national debt.
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Rumors spread online Friday that the U.S. government planned to issue stimulus checks to taxpayers in certain income brackets. But Congress has not passed legislation to authorize such payments, and, according to the IRS, no new stimulus or rebate checks will be distributed in the coming weeks.
The claim is that the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department have approved $1,390 stimulus checks that will be distributed to low- and middle-income taxpayers by the end of the summer. But this claim is false.
Noting how S&P Global on Monday affirmed its AA+ credit rating on the United States, Bessent said that he thinks there will be rebate checks in the future, 'But President Trump and I are laser-focused on paying down the debt.'
According to Bessent, during the interview, the tariff revenue is rising higher than expected.
'I've been saying that tariff revenue could be $300 billion this year,' he said.
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The American Worker Rebate Act was introduced in July. Its plan would share tariff revenue with qualified Americans through tax rebates. The proposed rebates would amount to at minimum $600 per individual, with additional payments for qualifying children. Rebates could increase if tariff revenue is higher than expected. Taxpayers with an adjusted annual gross income above a certain amount — $75,000 for those filing individually — would receive a reduced rebate.
Neither the Senate nor the House had passed the American Worker Rebate Act as of Tuesday. It was read twice by the Senate on July 28, the day it was introduced, and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Bessent said on Tuesday that the Trump administration's plan is to start paying down debt, but then plan to use the money, 'as an offset to the American people.' Bessent did note that he hopes there could soon be lower interest rates for Americans to help relieve financial stress.
It is important to note that a stimulus check and a rebate check are not the same thing. A rebate is a refund of something already paid for, while a stimulus is simply money given to pump up the economy.
The U.S. Senate is currently on break for the summer and is back in action on Sept. 2.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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