Washington D.C. — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed Sunday that the administration’s proposal to send $2,000 “tariff-dividend” checks to most Americans cannot be executed without a vote of Congress. “We will see. We need legislation for that,” Bessent said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures.
The plan, championed by President Trump, envisions returning tariff revenue to Americans, with priority given to low- and middle-income households and excluding high earners. Trump told reporters earlier this month that the payments would go out next year “to everybody but the rich.”
Despite the enthusiasm, Bessent acknowledged the scale of the proposal is substantial—independent estimates suggest a cost of around $600 billion if structured like previous stimulus payments, compared to roughly $195 billion in U.S. net tariff revenue for the fiscal year.
By stressing the need for congressional authorization, Bessent moved away from any expectation of an executive-branch fallback to implement the checks unilaterally. Any bill to send the $2,000 payments would require introduction, debate and passage in both the U.S. House and Senate, and then be signed by the president.
Legislative hurdles remain significant: many lawmakers are wary of largescale payouts while the administration simultaneously emphasizes debt reduction and inflation-control goals. The timing and structure of any future bill will be closely watched by markets, analysts, and eligible households alike.
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