Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration is considering income limits for President Donald Trump’s proposed $2,000 tariff rebate. According to Bessent, the benefit may be restricted to households earning under $100,000 per year, as reported by The New York Post.
“There are a lot of options here that the president’s talking about—a $2,000 rebate that would be for families making less than, say, $100,000,” Bessent said during an appearance on Fox & Friends. When asked whether the threshold had been finalized, he clarified that the administration has not yet made a final decision. “We haven’t. It’s in discussion,” he added.
The rebate proposal follows President Trump’s announcement last week that he plans to issue direct payments to Americans as part of his broader trade policy agenda. The president unveiled the idea shortly after a contentious Supreme Court hearing concerning his “reciprocal” tariff policy, which aims to balance trade relationships with countries that impose higher tariffs on U.S. goods.
At that time, Trump referred to the $2,000 “tariff dividend” as a way to return a portion of revenue generated from foreign imports back to American households, emphasizing that “the American people, not the foreign governments, benefit from our trade success.”
Since then, the administration has been working to define the structure and eligibility of these payments. Bessent noted that the details remain under review and could take several forms. Speaking to ABC’s This Week, he explained that the tariff dividend “could come in lots of forms” and “could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing.”
The discussion about the tariff rebate comes as the administration continues to defend its trade policies before the Supreme Court and among economic analysts. Supporters of the proposal argue that the rebate would help offset potential price increases from tariffs while providing direct financial relief to lower- and middle-income families.
The White House has not confirmed when a final decision on income limits or distribution logistics will be made. However, officials have indicated that the proposal is expected to be formally introduced in the coming months as part of the next phase of President Trump’s economic strategy.
https://www.lifezette.com/2025/11/treasury-secretary-bessent-hints-at-income-limit-on-trumps-tariff-checks-watch/
