In a brief statement with significant political impact, Donald Trump has hinted at the possibility of issuing a new economic stimulus payment. The proposal isn't finalized yet, but it suggests that millions of Americans could benefit from a direct rebate.
This announcement comes in a context of tariff windfall for the federal government. Revenue from tariffs imposed on imported products has grown significantly this year. Now, those resources could be returned to certain taxpayers.
Where would the money come from and who could receive it?
Trump made this announcement last Friday, just before leaving for a visit to Scotland. Speaking to the media, he said: "We're thinking about a small rebate, but the most important thing we want to do is pay the debt." With this, the former president indicated that his administration is studying two economic fronts.
On one hand, he is considering easing the financial pressure on citizens. On the other hand, he insists that the focus remains on the federal debt, which already exceeds $36 trillion. This duality reflects the fiscal dilemma faced by many governments.
The money would come directly from tariffs. The trade policy promoted by Trump has, according to Treasury data, caused more than $100 billion in revenue. That figure could reach $300 billion per year if the current trend continues.
It hasn't been determined yet who would receive those payments. Trump indicated that they would go to "people of a certain income level," although he didn't clarify further. It isn't known whether the rebate would be universal, limited to certain tax brackets, or conditioned by other variables.
What steps would be needed for the checks to become reality?
Any payment of this kind requires more than a presidential statement. Specific legislation is needed to authorize the Treasury Department to issue the payments. This means going through Congress, which would have to approve a new tax package.
Although a major tax and spending law was approved this month, that law doesn't include any rebate linked to tariffs. In other words, if Trump wants to move forward with this idea, he will have to negotiate a new law.
For now, everything remains a preliminary proposal. There are no dates, amounts, or details about its implementation. However, the mere mention of it has already caused expectation and speculation in the economic and political spheres.
With all this, Trump's plan aims to reuse tariff revenue in the form of tax relief for the population. Although nothing is concrete yet, the debate is already underway.