Trump Issues New Update On $2,000 ‘Tariff Dividend’ Checks

During a press conference marking his first year in office Tuesday, President Donald Trump provided an update on his plan to provide $2,000 tariff dividend checks to working class Americans.

Trump was asked whether he could implement his plan without congressional approval, which has became a topic of debate since the president first announced the plan this past November.

“The President I don’t think we would have to go to Congress, but, you know, we’ll find out. The reason we’re even talking about it is that we have so much money coming in from tariffs that we’ll be able to issue at least a $2 ,000 dividend and also pay down debt for the country,” Trump responded.

“But we do a $2 ,000 dividend to the people of our country would probably set a limit of, you know, income limit. where it made sense, but we will be able to make a very substantial dividend to the people of our country. I believe we can do that without Congress.”

U.S. tariff revenue for the fiscal year 2025, which ended on September 30 of last year, totaled $195 billion, marking a more than 250 percent increase from the previous year.

This accounted for the the highest annual collection in modern history, driven by President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on imports from dozens of trading partners including China. The tariffs were implemented under executive authority such as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), while the Supreme Court is currently weighing a decision that could curb the president’s ability to levy tariffs.

This figure encompasses duties collected through last September, with monthly revenues climbing from $7 billion in January to $30 billion by the end of the month.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said late last year that legislative approval would be likely necessary to authorize the checks, though other senior White House officials have pitched a plan that would not require congressional oversight

“We will look as hard as possible to see if there’s a way to do it without Congress because we’re circumspect about Congress wanting to stop [them]. The law is the law. I think the most likely outcome is that it requires an act of Congress,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair said while speaking at a Bloomberg Government event this past November.

The ambitious plan soon generated many inquiries, leading Blair to clarify his remarks in an X post. “If you watch the whole clip, I said we’ll certainly explore that, but also that I think the most likely outcome is that it requires an act of Congress,” he wrote.

Additional details on a plan to side-step congress have not been provided as of this report.

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