Overview

• Sen. Josh Hawley’s American Worker Rebate Act remains in committee after a July 28 hearing failed to win broad support among Republican senators.
• Lawmakers note that roughly $93 billion in Trump-era tariff revenue is available, but they prefer directing it toward cutting the $36 trillion national debt.
• Analysts warn that providing $600 to every American could cost over $205 billion and deepen an existing $1.4 trillion fiscal-year deficit.
• Media commentators and opposing senators have branded the proposal a politically driven payment scheme aimed at rewarding Trump’s working-class base.
• The plan builds on the precedent of three pandemic-era economic impact payments but has yet to gain traction in Congress.