Taylor’s Takes: Take your tariff rebate check and shove it

Perhaps this is my white privilege speaking, but I don’t want anything to do with a tariff rebate check.

Last month, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) floated the idea in the form of a bill, “The American Worker Rebate Act of 2025.” If passed, American households would see payouts of $600 per adult and dependent in the form of a check.

A family of four would theoretically receive a $2,400 stipend, provided that the combined income of the household was less than $150,000 per year. Anything over that and the size of the government check graduates downward to a smaller size.

Hawley’s bill is in the infant stages, presumably still in draft form before heading to the Senate floor for debate.

I hope that it doesn’t even get that far.

Hawley’s reasoning for the tariff rebate checks is that President Trump’s levies on imported products are generating so much additional revenue for the federal government that the taxpayers deserve to see a direct benefit, sent straight to their mailboxes.

That’s sweet, Senator. And it’s so nice that you thought of little old us. But the tariffs weren’t designed to be doled out to the public.

The tariffs were designed to supercharge the American economy and bring us out of the dry spell of the Biden years. The tariffs were meant to rake in cash for the federal government so that we could pay down as much debt as possible.

Furthermore, the tariffs were designed to essentially be self-destructive. The overarching motivation of the tariffs was to encourage what were once domestic companies to return to the United States and make this nation a manufacturing powerhouse. Foreign industries would also be enticed by the tariffs to come to America and create a more competitive market.

Eventually, tariffs would stop bringing in the now-projected $50 billion per month they’re expected to bring for the foreseeable future.

And jobs, too, are expected to be a big by-product of Trump’s tariffs. More manufacturing means more jobs of all kinds. From the construction of the factory, to production, to selling the product after it rolls off of the assembly line. There’s room for everyone.

So what do I need a $600 check for? I want this tariff plan to be executed flawlessly, without any hiccups. Why should we take over $150 billion (the estimated cost of the tariff rebate checks) and throw it up in the air like so much confetti?

The tariff rebate checks would be wasteful. Take that cash and pay down the national debt. That’s how you can reward the American taxpayer. Get us out of this dark, dank hole that the nation continues to plunge further into.

I don’t need senseless monetary payoffs because President Trump’s plan is working out. The real reward is to see a thriving United States with zero joblessness and dwindling debt.

Tear up my check and thank me for my selflessness.

Do you see any other nation doing this? Is China opening it’s coffers and slinging yuan to anyone with their hand out?

No. China is building more infrastructure to compete with nations like ours. They’re building energy plants, military jets, improved transportation grids, etc.

If we dump over $150 billion in tariff revenue onto the American public to be spent as we see fit, we’re proving that we’re not serious about our standing in the world. Forget about competing with China if we have to compete with ourselves to get ahead.

We have transportation infrastructure in air traffic control towers, railroads, and more that haven’t seen upgrades in fifty years. If you’re looking for somewhere to start spending that sweet, sweet tariff money, Sen. Hawley, you can start there.

Would any of us be happy to receive $600 from out of nowhere?

Absolutely.

But this $600 had a destination, and it wasn’t directly to my hands.

This isn’t the Lufthansa heist from Goodfellas where everyone “gets a taste” of the big score.

We’re not mob wives and we don’t need brand new pink Cadillacs.

Stick to the plan. Keep your head down and the cash flowing to where it’s supposed to. No more distractions.

Let’s get serious about America’s new Golden Age.