President Donald Trump confirmed that his administration is considering sending direct payments of $1,000 to $2,000 to American taxpayers, funded by revenue from his new tariffs on imported goods. The proposal would mark a historic redistribution of tariff income, with Trump describing it as a potential “dividend to the people of America.”
Speaking with One America News (OAN), President Trump said his administration’s first priority remains debt reduction but that a rebate program is on the table. “We’re going to do something, we’re looking at something. No. 1, we’re paying down debt,” Trump said. “But we also might make a distribution to the people, almost like a dividend to the people of America.”
The president’s aggressive trade policy—central to his second-term economic agenda—has imposed broad tariffs on foreign imports to revive U.S. manufacturing, strengthen domestic supply chains, and reduce reliance on China. The tariffs have so far generated roughly $80.3 billion in new revenue between January and July 2025, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent projects that the tariffs will bring in approximately $300 billion annually.
Bessent reiterated that fiscal discipline remains the top priority. “We’re going to bring down the deficit to GDP,” he said. “We’ll start paying down the debt, and then at that point that can be used as an offset to the American people.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that no final decision has been made, saying, “It’s an idea the president has discussed with his advisers, but no decision has been firmly made at this point.”
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Trump’s tariffs could raise as much as $4 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade, though critics argue that higher import taxes could lead to modest price increases for U.S. consumers.
Meanwhile, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has introduced the American Worker Rebate Act, which would send rebate checks of at least $600 per adult and dependent child—about $2,400 for a family of four—using a portion of tariff revenue. The bill remains stalled in the Senate but has drawn attention as a potential model for Trump’s proposal.
Trump has framed his tariff-driven agenda as a long-term strategy to replace foreign dependence with American productivity while cutting wasteful spending. Earlier this year, he cited the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—an initiative originally led by Elon Musk—for finding $150 billion in budget savings through streamlined operations.
Despite U.S. debt standing at $37.8 trillion, Trump has called the figure “very little, relatively speaking,” given the strength of the American economy and tariff income. His administration insists that new tariffs will reduce deficits, rebuild industry, and return wealth “to the American worker, where it belongs.”
