Trump says Republicans should vote to release Jeffrey Epstein files
In a stunning reversal, President Trump posted on Truth Social that Republicans should release the Epstein files.
Many are wondering if they’ll receive a payment soon after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Nov. 12 that the Trump administration was “exploring all legal options” to issue $2,000 checks to Americans.
Leavitt’s remarks come after President Donald Trump claimed on his Truth Social account on Nov. 9 that a dividend of at least $2,000 would be paid out to “everyone,” but would exclude “high income people.”
A few days later, Leavitt echoed Trump’s remarks about the possible payments.
“I don’t have a timeline for you or any further details, but I can confirm for you that the president made it clear he wants to make it happen, and so his team of Economic Advisors are looking into it, and when we have an update, we’ll provide one,” Leavitt told reporters on Nov. 12.
Trump first floated the idea of a dividend rebate in July, reported USA TODAY, saying tariff revenue could lead to “a little rebate but the big thing we want to do is pay down debt.”
Here’s what to know about Americans receiving a $2,000 payment.
Are we getting a $2,000 stimulus check?
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Nov. 12 that there is no timeline for when the checks could be issued.
The $2,000 checks would supposedly be funded by tariff revenue. However, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan nonprofit that studies fiscal policy, said in a Nov. 10 report that an initial round of tariff dividend checks could cost about $600 billion, while the tariffs have brought in about $100 billion so far.
With the national debt of more than $38 trillion, “it is imperative that policymakers focus on actually reducing deficits and putting debt on a downward path,” the group said. “Additional tariff revenue should be used to reduce deficits – as several administration figures have stated is the intention – instead of passing that revenue onto taxpayers in the form of cash dividends.”
What would need to happen to get a $2,000 stimulus check?
Any form of stimulus payment issued by the U.S. government would have to be approved by Congress.
This isn’t the first time Trump has floated the idea of a stimulus check—Trump also mentioned in February that he would consider a plan to pay out $5,000 to taxpayers in the form of a ‘DOGE dividend’ during a speech. DOGE was the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was an initiative created by Trump and spearheaded by former special government employee Elon Musk.
Who would qualify for the $2,000 stimulus check?
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Nov. 12 that Trump is considering stimulus checks for families earning $100,000 or less.
USA Today contributed to this story.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
