Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said Sunday that the Senate should “take a look” at legislation providing $2,000 tariff checks to Americans, a week after President Trump
look at these types of things and how we can make sure that the American people have more of their hard-earned money back in their pocket,” Britt told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Last week, President Trump proposed sending at least $2,000 to most Americans via revenue collected from his sweeping tariffs. The president added that his administration will pay down the $38.12 trillion national debt using collected duties, which totaled $195 billion during the first three quarters of this year, according to the Treasury Department’s September statement.
The tariffs, which the administration defended in front of the Supreme Court earlier this month, have resulted in firms passing on some costs to customers. As of Oct. 17, consumers are facing an average effective tariff rate of 18 percent, the highest since 1934, according to the Yale Budget Lab.
Britt, though, defended the levies, saying Sunday they are about “leveling the playing field” for American businesses. She also claimed that tariff checks would be well received by Americans.
“President Trump knows that you can put Americans against the world, and if we are on a level playing field, we will always win,” the Alabama Republican added.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced legislation to provide $600 tariff rebates to nearly all Americans and their dependent children in July. Under his proposal, a family of four would receive $2,400.
In a statement at the time, Hawley said his legislation “would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country.”
The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) for comment on whether he will hold a vote on Hawley’s proposal or similar legislation.
Also Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that “working families” will receive the rebate checks, if such a proposal passes Congress and is signed into law by Trump. The president and other administration officials have not clarified which income groups would qualify for the dividends.
The Hill has also reached out to the White House and Treasury Department for comment on who would qualify for the checks and how much such a proposal would cost.
