President Donald Trump said Thursday he is still considering issuing Americans rebates of up to $2,000 using revenue generated from tariffs on imported goods.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has levied sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs on foreign imports, as well as separate levies on key industries, including steel, aluminum, copper, and, most recently, pharmaceuticals. The federal government has collected $214.9 billion in tariffs this year, according to Fox Business, though Trump says the total could eventually surpass $1 trillion annually.
“We’re thinking maybe $1,000 to $2,000 — it would be great,” Trump told OANN, adding that it would be “almost like a dividend to the people of America.”
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However, the president emphasized that his top priority remains paying down the nation’s mounting debt, which currently sits at $37 trillion according to the Department of the Treasury.
“Number one, we’re paying down debt, because people have allowed the debt to go crazy,” Trump told OANN.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The president’s rebate proposal comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in November over the legality of the administration’s Liberation Day tariffs. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in early September that the administration exceeded its authority to impose the levies under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, but allowed the levies to remain in place through Oct. 14.
Tariffs on commodities were implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act and are not currently being challenged, as they adhere to longstanding precedent established by multiple prior administrations.
The president has previously floated the rebate idea, but any distribution would require congressional approval, leaving its feasibility uncertain in a divided Congress. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri proposed the American Worker Rebate Act in July, which would provide tariff rebate checks of at least $600 per adult and child.
Trump said in late September that he would use tariff revenues to send cash aid to farmers, who he said are experiencing short-term pain before his new duties “kick in” to their benefit.
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