President Donald Trump shared exciting news on Nov. 9 about plans to give Americans outside the “high income” groups $2,000 each, funded from tariffs collected by his administration.
He expressed optimism on social media, saying, “We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 trillion. There’s been a record investment boom in the USA, with new plants and factories popping up everywhere. A bonus of at least $2000 per person (excluding those with high incomes!) will be paid to everyone.”
For this plan to move forward, it will need support from Congress. Back in July, Senator Josh Hawley introduced the American Worker Rebate Act, aiming to use tariff revenue to provide tax rebates of at least $600 for each adult and child, based on income.
According to the Treasury Department, in the first three quarters of 2025, the government collected $195 billion in customs duties — enough to give 97.5 million people a $2,000 check.
There were about 267 million adults living in the U.S. in 2024, according to 2020 Census estimates. Data from YouGov Profiles shows that roughly 18% of these adults earned more than $100,000 a year, which would mean they are not eligible for the dividend.
Currently, the average tariff rate for goods entering the U.S. stands at 18%, the highest since 1934, according to Yale’s Budget Lab. There’s ongoing debate about how much of these tariffs are passed on to consumers.