Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $2,000 tariff rebate checks to most Americans would require approval from Congress, according to CNN.
“We will see. We need legislation for that,” Bessent said during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” when asked about the rebate checks. He added that “those could go out.”
Trump has repeatedly teased the idea of using tariff revenue to fund rebate payments in recent months, according to CNN.
In a Truth Social post last weekend, he wrote: “People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS! … A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.” Trump first suggested Americans could receive a portion of tariff revenue in July.
Bessent said Sunday the payments would be “for working families” and would include an income limit, CNN reported.
The tariff policy has drawn criticism for contributing to higher inflation on consumer goods. However, Bessent and other members of Trump’s economic team have disputed claims that tariffs essentially function as a tax on American consumers, the report said.
To address inflation concerns, the administration announced exemptions on Friday for agricultural imports from “reciprocal” tariffs. The move could help address rising grocery costs, as agricultural products would avoid rates as high as 50% on imports from Brazil or the 10% duty imposed on many other countries, the report said.
According to CNN, average grocery prices in the U.S. were 2.7% higher in September compared with last year. Coffee prices were up nearly 21% year-over-year in August, and bananas were about 6.6% more expensive in August than they were a year ago.
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