White House official confirms $2,000 tariff checks are planned, but there are potential roadblocks ahead

President Donald Trump is still working on a plan to deliver tariff-financed stimulus checks to Americans, even as questions grow about whether Congress will support the plan.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Fox News in an interview Monday that Trump’s proposal for a $2,000 rebate check was still in the works. However, speculation about the proposal intensified after several Republican members of Congress expressed doubts about the checks.

“The president has put this on his desk. I know this is something he wants to accomplish. His legislative team will figure out the best way to do that,” Lutnick said.

Trump administration officials said the proposal would need to be approved by Congress, which could take the form of a so-called “reconciliation bill” similar to the “Big, Beautiful Bill” law passed earlier this year.

Earlier this month, Trump proposed tariff “dividend” payments in a social media post. Trump and senior administration officials said these payments would launch in 2026 and would be limited to low- and middle-income earners, possibly at income levels of $100,000 or less.

Emerging opposition from members of Congress

Some members of Congress argue that tariff revenues should instead be used to pay off the country’s debt.

House Budget Committee Chairman Jody Arrington, a Republican from Texas, said proceeds from the tariffs should go toward paying down the country’s $38 trillion national debt, according to a report. Bloomberg News condition.

Several Republican senators also expressed reservations about the plan, including Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who said the nation’s nearly $2 trillion annual deficit makes it unlikely he could support a $2,000 check.

“If we are generating revenue through tariffs, that should be applied to reduce the deficit, not just to make cash payments to Americans,” Johnson said. Fox News. “We can’t afford it. I wish we were in a position to return the American people’s money, but we’re not.”

Meanwhile, Trump has continued to tout the benefits of tariff policies, arguing on his Truth Social platform that more companies will now pay tariffs as inventory levels begin to decline, which could result in increased revenue for the government.

“Tariffs will soon be paid on all that apply, without avoidance, and amounts owed to the United States will skyrocket, on top of already historic levels of dollars received,” Trump wrote. “These payments will be a record, setting our nation on a new and unprecedented path.”