Last weekend, President Trump announced his plan to distribute a bonus of $2,000 to the majority of Americans from the tariff revenue collected by the federal government. This proposal coincided with the imminent Supreme Court ruling on tariffs and garnered attention from the public.
Trump’s announcement came through a post on the “Truth Social” platform on Sunday, where he praised the tariff policy and labeled those opposing tariff imposition as “fools.”
According to Trump’s post, the revenue generated from tariffs would be utilized to pay off the national debt, and each individual would receive a bonus of at least $2,000 (excluding high-income earners). The following morning, he reiterated the proposal to distribute bonuses to most Americans on the “Truth Social” platform.
It is important to note that the tariff revenue bonus plan is still at a proposal stage and has not received any official approval.
This is not the first time Trump has raised the idea of bonus distribution. During an interview with the conservative cable news channel “One America News Network” in October, he mentioned the possibility of distributing bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 to the public. He estimated that the tariff revenue in the U.S. would surpass $1 trillion annually.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley also proposed a similar bill in July. He suggested providing tariff bonus checks to eligible Americans based on the record-high tariff revenue of the U.S. government in 2025, similar to the stimulus checks distributed during the pandemic.
However, Hawley’s proposal is still pending in Congress and has not been passed into law.
Regarding the $2,000 tariff bonus proposal, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with ABC’s “This Week” program, mentioned that he had not discussed the issue with the president. He hinted that the $2,000 bonus could be distributed in various forms, possibly through tax cuts rather than direct cash payments like stimulus checks.
Prior to Trump’s proposal of the $2,000 tariff bonus, rumors about the federal government distributing a new round of relief funds by year-end have been circulating online. However, according to the latest information on the IRS website, there is no official announcement of any new federal relief fund payment plan for 2025. No new legislation has been passed by Congress, and the IRS has not confirmed anything.
While some states may offer assistance to residents, these are not nationwide benefits and do not fall under the federal relief fund program.
The IRS has repeatedly cautioned the public to be vigilant against text message scams, as well as scammers posing as official personnel, including those associated with relief funds. Scammers often use emails, texts, or social media to lure individuals with messages about tax refunds, tax rebates, or new rounds of relief funds in an attempt to steal personal and financial information.
The IRS advises taxpayers not to respond to messages claiming to be from the IRS via text, email, or social media posts. Such messages may contain malicious software leading to the exposure of personal information. Individuals should never click on any links or attachments in unsolicited emails or texts claiming to be related to their tax information.