President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $2,000 tariff rebate checks to most Americans requires congressional approval, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“We will see. We need legislation for that,” Bessent said, adding that the checks “could go out” if passed. He specified the payments would target “working families” with an income limit, excluding high earners.
Trump has pushed the idea for months, including in a Truth Social post last weekend calling tariff opponents “FOOLS!” and promising “a dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!).”
He first raised sharing tariff revenue with Americans in July.
Bessent segment starts at the 2:25 Mark...
Today, exclusively on @SundayFutures with @MariaBartiromo, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent @SecScottBessent spoke about the U.S and China continuing talks on rare-earth materials.@FoxNews pic.twitter.com/xyqlQeG2t1
— SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) November 16, 2025
The plan faces major hurdles: the Supreme Court, which heard arguments earlier this month, appeared skeptical of Trump’s use of an emergency law to impose many tariffs, with several conservative justices questioning the administration’s legal basis; a ruling against it could invalidate a large portion of the duties.
Critics also blame the tariffs for driving up consumer goods prices and inflation, though Bessent and Trump’s economic team reject claims that they function as a tax on Americans.