Tariff rebate checks aren’t a priority for the Trump administration, Bessent says

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday threw cold water on the idea that Americans could soon receive tariff rebate checks .

Bessent, during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” said that revenue from import tariffs will be put toward the US national debt.

“I think, at a point, we’re going to be able to do it,” he said, noting how S&P Global on Monday affirmed its AA+ credit rating on the United States. “But President [Donald] Trump and I are laser-focused on paying down the debt.”

Some lawmakers have proposed using tariff revenue to send rebate checks of at least $600 per adult and dependent child. A family of four could end up with around $2,400 from the federal government.

The United States has collected $100 billion in tariff revenue since April, when a large swath of Trump’