Overview
- In a New York Times interview, President Trump replied “When did I do that?” when reminded of his $2,000 tariff-funded pledge, then said payments could arrive toward the end of the year.
- He pointed to a separate $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” paid to roughly 1.45–1.5 million service members, a Pentagon-funded bonus that is not financed by tariffs.
- No formal plan has been submitted to Congress, and while Trump said approval is not needed, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett has indicated congressional authorization would likely be required.
- Independent estimates peg the cost of $2,000 checks to most Americans at about $600 billion, far above recent annual tariff receipts reported in the low $200 billions.
- A pending Supreme Court ruling on the administration’s tariff authority could require refunds to importers, potentially eliminating the revenue the proposed checks depend on.