Are $600 Tariff Rebate Checks Coming? Here’s What You Need To Know
Written by
T. Woods
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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In March of 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump. CARES was an economic stimulus package that included one-time cash payments of $1,200 to most Americans to help offset the unprecedented financial impact of the COVID-19 virus. Just over five years later, Trump is once again considering issuing a government check to most Americans, this time in the form of a rebate paid with revenue from his trade tariffs.
Per CNBC, President Trump recently told to reporters that there was a good amount of incoming money from tariffs it could potentially result in rebates — here’s what we know.
Is There a Plan in Action?
In response to this, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has introduced a bill that would issue these tariff rebate checks to Americans in a similar cash disbursement to the CARES payments of 2020, according to his official page. The bill, called the “American Worker Rebate Act of 2025,” would see $600 at minimum sent to American adults and dependent children (or $2,400 for a family of four). That “at minimum” is worth noting, as well — there is a provision in the bill for the payments to be higher than $600 per person if tariff revenue is ultimately higher than expected.
Also worth noting is the fact that the Treasury Department did indeed release a report showing an unexpected surplus in June, one that was helped by tariff revenues of approximately $27 billion — a 301% increase in custom duties from June 2024.
What Are the Potential Implications?
However, it remains to be seen if other Republicans will support Hawley’s bill. Diverting tariff revenue away lowering the federal deficit as intended may anger fiscal conservatives; further, senior fellow Joseph Rosenberg of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center indicated to CNBC that Americans spending an extra $600 from the government would actually drive up prices, risking an increase in inflation across the country. As a means of comparison, inflation rose 2.6% as a result of the spending of CARES payments five years ago.
Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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