That means people who are unemployed or earning money outside traditional jobs might still qualify. But the big catch remains: nothing has been formally approved.
The biggest roadblock: Congress and math
Even if the public is excited, the $2,000 idea faces a mountain of financial and political challenges. The IRS has not officially approved any $2,000 stimulus checks for distribution to Americans in 2025.
“We will see,” while also stressing that “we need legislation for that.”
Translation: Congress would have to sign off on a spending plan that could cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin isn’t buying into the president’s payout proposal, arguing that any tariff dollars should go toward shrinking the nation’s $1.8 trillion deficit instead.
“Look, we can’t afford it. I wish we were in a position to return the American public their money, but we’re not,” he told Fox Business.
Johnson went on to criticize the soaring federal shortfall: “President Trump had deficits about $800 billion — Obama, in his last four years, $550 billion a year. Now we’re $2 trillion? Completely unacceptable. We have to start focusing on that and doing something about it.”
”Could come in lots of forms”
So, just how massive would the bill be? The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates the price tag could reach $600 billion per year, far more than the government currently collects from tariffs.Continue reading…
