Are $2k Tariff Checks Coming Soon? Why Americans Have Mixed Feelings.

Are $2k Tariff Checks Coming Soon? Why Americans Have Mixed Feelings.

Christopher Cann, Trevor Hughes, Phaedra Trethan, Eduardo Cuevas, Alysa Guffey and Daniel de Visé, USA TODAY NETWORK  Updated Sat, December 20, 2025

For the last year, Ruby and Nathaniel Jumper have tried saving up for a cross-country move.

The couple living in Mercedes, Texas, decided in January to relocate to Tennessee for better work opportunities and a bigger apartment for their family. But bills, surprise expenses and the high cost of groceries have set them back over and over again.

“It’s been rough, honestly,” said Ruby Jumper, adding that the financial squeeze meant hard decisions this holiday season. "Usually they get three or four gifts," she said, speaking about her three children, ages 17, 11 and 8. "This year they're only going to get one."

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As the Jumpers stow away money when they can, they're closely watching one idea being floated in Washington: $2,000 rebate checks.

In recent months, President Donald Trump has repeatedly previewed the idea of a tariff dividend that would hand thousands of dollars to lower- and middle-income Americans, paid for by money brought in by his global import taxes.

The idea, which comes as polls show Americans increasingly souring on Trump's handling of the economy, faces longshot odds from bettors, logistical hurdles in Congress and angst from some economists.

Over the 2025 holiday season, USA TODAY Network journalists spoke with holiday shoppers across the country about the prospect of a tariff rebate in 2026 and what $2,000 would mean to them.

For many, the idea stirred thoughts of catching up – of paying bills, of regaining financial security they'd recently lost. Buying gifts, they said, was just another reminder that a dollar doesn't buy what it used to.

"Prices are just exorbitant," said Andrei Thies in Milwaukee, adding that she's buying fewer Christmas gifts than usual for her family.

"The cost of things is just insane."

Will Americans get $2,000 checks in 2026?

Trump has repeatedly floated the rebates as a way to put money in wallets at a time when Americans are struggling with years of cumulative inflation. But the idea, which hasn't been fleshed out into a detailed plan, faces an uncertain future.

Multiple independent reports have concluded that the money collected in tariff revenue won’t be enough to fund sweeping rebate checks.

The nonpartisan Tax Foundation, for example, said the checks would cost the government $279.8 billion to $606.8 billion, depending on who gets them. That’s more than the $158.4 billion the tariffs will generate in 2025, the nonprofit found.

Economists have also raised concerns that the tariff dividend could contribute to a rise in inflation, as the COVID stimulus checks did. And on Capitol Hill, the idea of rebate checks have been met with lukewarm responses, even from some Republicans.

“I think it’s an idea that needs to be fleshed out,” Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, told Politico this month. “We’re $36, $37 trillion in debt. To me, I think our bus is full. If you want to add something, then take something off the bus. That’s just me.”

In a statement, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said, "The Administration is committed to putting the federal government’s historic tariff revenue to good use for the American people."

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