WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s proposal to send checks to millions of Americans hurt by his tariff policies is running into resistance from some Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill who’d like to pay down the deficit instead.
Last week, Trump said he was considering providing consumers with financial relief from the tens of billions of dollars his administration has collected since it instituted its higher duties earlier this year on nearly every good the U.S. imports. The U.S. Treasury has reported raising about $150 billion from the program so far.
“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,” Trump said at the White House, adding that it would likely include an income threshold.
Congress would have to approve any such move, and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced legislation this week that would provide $600 tariff rebates in the form of a tax credit.
“Why not reward the working people who have taken it in the shins for the last four years and give them something out of this? I think they need it, deserve it,” Hawley told HuffPost on Tuesday.
