Senator Hawley’s $600 Tariff Rebate Plan Faces Debt Scrutiny

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) rolled out his new American Worker Rebate Act this week, promising “at least $600 per adult and dependent child, or $2,400 for a family of four.” That’s if the government’s record tariff haul continues, and apparently, there’s a chance for even more if the numbers come in high enough.

This week, the US Treasury announced a record amount of collected tariff fees. It was up over 130% just in the first 6 months of 2025. It could reach a quarter trillion dollars by the end of the year. That good news has some feeling the change dangling in their pockets.

The pitch? “Americans deserve a tax rebate after four years of Biden policies that have devastated families’ savings and livelihoods,” Hawley argued, saying he just wants “hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country.”

Not everyone’s buying it. In fact, some of Hawley’s fellow Republicans are pretty blunt—one called the whole idea “the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.” “It’ll never pass,” an exasperated Bernie Moreno (R-OH) flatly told reporters on Tuesday. “We have a $37 trillion debt.”

And then there’s the math. “The truth is that tariffs are still a small share of federal revenue. Customs duties, which include tariffs, have raised $108 billion so far this year,” the Wall Street Journal pointed out, which sounds impressive until you look at the U.S. deficit—trillions, not billions. As of this week, the U.S. national debt stands at a whopping $36.73 trillion to be exact. China, Japan and the U.K. hold about $3 trillion of that debt.

That gives pause to many, especially after the intense focus on Doge cuts to reduce federal spending.

Bottom line, according to pundits, is that sure, $600 checks will grab headlines and might buy a few groceries. But ask around on Capitol Hill, and you’ll hear the same thing over and over—this rebate is a blip, not a fix. With the deficit still ballooning, and so much of America’s borrowing coming from overseas, plenty of folks are wondering whether Hawley’s plan is best for the country or just another welfare give-a-away.

–Dwight Widaman