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."

Trump Plans $2,000 Direct Payments to Americans Using Tariff Revenue Instead of Debt

David Beren  Sat, December 20, 2025

On November 9, 2025, President Trump proposed a new round of direct payments to all American taxpayers, similar to those made during COVID. However, this time these paychecks would be funded by tariff revenue, and the plan was for all qualifying Americans to receive $2,000, although high earners would not be eligible, a plan that immediately drew comparisons to pandemic paychecks in 2020 and 2021.

The political appeal of such a move is pretty obvious, as making a direct payment is easy for all Americans to understand. Better yet, a $2,000 check could immediately help middle- and lower-class households already struggling with rising costs across the board.

However, the COVID stimulus was a response to a sudden economic collapse, and this proposal would come at a time when the economy is stronger and unemployment, though rising, is still low.