Trump-Backed $2,000 Tariff Dividend Payment Requires Legislation, Bessent Says

Starting earlier this month, President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested that his tariffs could be used to fund the payments to Americans.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks with reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington on Oct. 22, 2025. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $2,000 tariff payments to certain U.S. residents would require legislation, while he believes the Supreme Court won’t rule against the administration on the legality of the tariffs.

“We will see. We need legislation for that,” Bessent said when asked about the rebates during an interview with Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” adding the tariff checks would go to “working families.”