Are Illinois residents getting $2000 tariff rebate checks? Here's what we know

President Donald Trump announced in a Nov. 9 Truth Social post that millions of Americans would receive $2000 checks from the success of tariffs.

“People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!” the president wrote. “We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER. We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion.”

“A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,” Trump said.

But will Americans really see these checks? And if so, when? Here’s what we know.

Are Americans getting $2,000 tariff checks?

Although Trump said most Americans will receive at least $2,000 from the success of tariffs, it is not a guarantee. Such a proposal would likely need Congressional approval, according to The Hill. Trump and his administration have also previously signaled that their priority is to use tariff revenue to tackle the national debt.

When will the $2000 tariff check be paid?

The president didn’t provide details about how these checks would be sent out or when. It is unclear if these checks are even a possibility, given that such a proposal would likely require Congressional approval.

Experts warn tariff checks could cost $600 billion

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan nonprofit that studies fiscal policy, released an analysis of the proposed stimulus checks on Nov. 10.

Assuming the checks would be designed similar to the stimulus payments distributed directly to Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee found that a single round of Trump’s tariff dividend checks would cost about $600 billion.

The new tariffs imposed this year are projected to generate only about $300 billion a year, however, generating an additional $100 billion in tax revenue as of October.

Over a 10-year period, the dividends would increase deficits by $6 trillion if rebate checks are distributed annually, according to the CRFB’s analysis.

What happened with tariff rebate checks?

This isn’t the first time Trump has floated the idea of giving taxpayers’ money accrued from tariffs. In July, Trump answered a reporter’s question about the “possibility of a rebate to the American public.”

“We’re thinking about that actually,” he said before adding, “we have so much money coming in, we’re thinking about a little rebate. But the big thing we want to do is pay down debt. But we’re thinking about a rebate.”

Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley then proposed the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025 in late July. The act would provide $600 tariff rebates to most Americans and their dependent children, or $2,400 for a family of four, according to The Hill. The bill was referred to a Senate committee, but there were no updates on it as of September.

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DOGE checks update

Earlier in 2025, there was talk of a DOGE dividend, which would be funded by money the department cut from other groups.

Though politicians and President Donald Trump himself talked about the idea, the stimulus checks were never formally approved by Congress. There has been no news about this proposal for months.

Maria Francis and Joey Garrison contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: $2000 tariff checks: Are they coming? When? How likely are they?