$2,000 Stimulus Check Talk Resurfaces – What it Means for Louisiana Residents

(KMDL-FM) It has been a while since the American public has been governmentally stimulated, at least by a check anyway. Chances are, you remember all the talk about the $2,000 government stimulus check, tariff dividend, or tariff rebate.

A blank US goverment check with selective focus on the statue of liberty

It was all the rage for a while, and then, suddenly, nothing but crickets as the talk quickly quieted. Well, there has now been an uptick in conversations about stimulus checks and why we the people should be counting on one from our "hired hands" that we elected in Washington.

Why Did The $2,000 Stimulus Check Idea Fall Apart?

You might recall a court decision back in February revealed that President Trump's tariffs on foreign nations, goods, and services were illegal. So, the United States Government is now in the process of returning about $166 billion in tariffs.

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That tariff money was supposed to be the funding source for our $2,000 stimulus checks or tariff dividends, but since that money is going back to those who were charged the illegal tariffs, we won't have that money.

But hold on just a second.

If you recall, when those tariffs went into effect, you and I started paying higher prices. Now those people we paid higher prices to are getting the tariffs back, and they are getting to keep the inflated profits that we were forced to pay.

The Government is Refunding Tariffs, How Will Consumers Get Refunded?

A pen rests on a check near the dollars line.

In effect, our own government forced us to pay higher prices to foreign businesses, and guess who is not getting the difference back? But maybe we could, because there is a new movement in Washington that is asking the question that we just raised.

There is a proposal that's called the Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act that targets the uber-wealthy and targets individuals with very high net worths. It also looks into businesses that may have benefitted from the tariffs being imposed and then retracted.

New Proposal Would Mean a $3,000 Stimulus Check for Americans

In the case of the Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act, the proposal offers a stimulus check of $3,000. But that's just legislation that has been proposed; nothing has been passed or even voted on. But if you live in a household that earns less than $150,000 annually, you'll need to stay on top of this.

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As it stands now, the only check you could or should be expecting from the federal government is an income tax refund check. All the talk of stimulus plans, checks, programs, and the like is just rhetoric as of right now.

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There could be more of that rhetoric as we move closer to the midterm elections and politicians start having to make promises they know they can't keep. But we will keep an eye out for any changes in any stimulus proposals or packages; right now, your best chance at a stimulus might be to play the lottery.