President Donald Trump has announced plans to issue dividend checks from tariff revenue, but the current revenue generated by tariffs is not enough to cover the estimated $300 billion cost of the payout. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed that checks will be in the amount of $2,000 and given to households making less than $100,000. However, as of Sept. 30, the federal government had generated $195 billion in tariff-related revenue, according to the Treasury Department. The estimated $300 billion cost of the dividend check proposal would far exceed the amount of currently available tariff revenue. In theory, the Trump administration could promise to pay the dividend from anticipated tariff revenue. The Treasury Department has forecast $3 trillion in tariff revenue over the next decade. Should the Trump administration choose that route, the dividend payments would add to the federal debt, which currently stands at over $38 trillion, according to the Treasury Department. President Trump confirms he is planning to give $2,000 dividend checks to US citizens with the rest of the tariff money going towards our debt. White House officials are exploring ways to execute the plan put forward by Trump in a social media post over the weekend, but she did not provide details about specific options. “The president made it clear he wants to make it happen,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House. “So his team of economic advisers are looking into it.” The firm stance from the White House comes days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared to cast doubt on Trump’s proposal, saying the payout could merely refer to tax savings enshrined by Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill legislation.