Overview
- Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration is committed to pursuing the idea and is exploring legal pathways as economic advisers review options.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a roughly $100,000 income cutoff is under discussion and the benefit could be delivered through tax changes rather than direct checks.
- Bessent previewed "substantial announcements" in coming days to lower prices by reducing tariffs on items the U.S. largely does not grow, highlighting coffee and bananas.
- Budget analysts say tariff receipts fall far short of the cost of $2,000 payments, warning of large deficits and possible inflation; official tallies show more than $220 billion collected so far against costs estimated in the hundreds of billions.
- The Supreme Court has questioned the administration’s emergency tariff authority, and experts note any broad payments would require congressional approval, with a court loss potentially forcing refunds to importers.