As revenue from President Donald Trump's tariffs pours into the U.S., some lawmakers are looking to give a little of it back. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R) has introduced the "American Worker Rebate Act" to send $600 per adult and dependent child to American households. The amount would be reduced for those above certain income thresholds. In a statement, Hawley said, "My legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump's tariffs are returning to this country."
President Trump is also warm to the idea, recently telling reporters, "We have so much money coming in, we’re thinking about a little rebate." Trump went on call it "a little rebate for people of a certain income level."
While sending free money to Americans is likely to be a popular idea across party lines, critics warn of the unintended consequences. "The problem with writing checks to people is that in the next election, Democrats will go 'we'll give you more money, vote for me,' and you'll have a bidding war among politicians," says Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. "The money will go into sending checks to people, not national defense, not building the roads, and not leaving it in your pocket."
Norquist also warns this will be rife with fraud and abuse, similar to the stimulus checks sent out during the COVID-19 pandemic. But his biggest concern is it will encourage more government dependence. "The suggestion that we send $600---of your tax dollars---to everyone in the country whether they work or not is not a good idea, it's actually a stolen idea," says Norquist. "It comes from Elizabeth Warren and the left...they call it universal basic income."
"They're not gonna stop at $600, because every year they'll keep promising more...vote for me and I'll make it a thousand, two-thousand, and so on," he continues. "And pretty soon, you'll make more money voting than working."
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