American families could get $2,400 rebate checks from tariff money

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has introduced a bill to send tariff rebate checks to Americans, much like the government did during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Hawley, a Missouri Republican, announced the bill just days after President Donald Trump floated the idea while speaking with reporters. 

How much would Americans get from tariff rebate checks? 

By the numbers:

The American Worker Rebate Act of 2025 would provide $600 per adult and dependent child, or $2,400 for a family of four. The checks could be more if tariff revenues end up being more than projected. 

The benefit would be reduced by 5% for joint filers with an adjusted gross income above $150,000 or single filers earning more than $75,000.

RELATED: Trump suspends de minimis exemption for low-value imports: What it means for shoppers

According to FOX Business, the administration’s tariffs have brought in about $28 billion in July. Tariffs have generated about $150 billion in revenue for the government this year. 

What they're saying:

"Like President Trump proposed, my legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country," Hawley said in a news release. 

Asked last week about the potential for tariff rebate checks, Trump said, "We're thinking about that actually."

RELATED: Procter & Gamble announces price hikes, blaming tariffs

"We have so much money coming in, we're thinking about a little rebate," he said. "But the big thing we want to do is pay down debt. But we're thinking about a rebate."

What's next:

It’s not clear whether the bill would have enough support from fellow Republicans to pass. 

Stimulus checks

The backstory:

This is not the first rebate or stimulus payment that Trump has teased since taking office again. In February, he said he "loved" the idea of giving some of the savings from Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts back to Americans in some kind of dividend.

Americans haven’t received stimulus checks since the COVID pandemic, and no widespread stimulus checks are pending otherwise for 2025.

A backlogged $1,400 stimulus check was available to a small number of Americans this tax-filing season as part of an unclaimed rebate check dating back to the pandemic. 

Tariffs latest

Dig deeper:

Trump has announced a flurry of trade activity ahead of his latest deadline Friday to impose even steeper import taxes on goods coming from countries around the world. A handful of trade deals have trickled in — most recently with South Korea and Pakistan — but many details remain hazy. Thorny negotiations for most trading partners remain up in the air.

Although Trump’s tariffs have brought in $150 billion so far, a key U.S. inflation gauge rose last month, a sign that the tariffs are starting to lift prices for many goods.

RELATED: K-beauty products: Tariffs threaten Asian skincare boom in US

Prices rose 2.6% in June compared with a year ago, the Commerce Department said on Thursday, up from an annual pace of 2.4% in May. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, prices rose 2.8% in the past year, the same as the previous month, which was revised higher.

And, while Trump may have gotten his way with tariffs on some countries, his overhaul of American trade policy still faces a challenge in federal court.

TariffsMoneyDonald J. TrumpPoliticsMoneyDonald J. TrumpPoliticsEconomy