Senator Josh Hawley says the legislation he proposes will send $600 tariff rebate checks to Americans, but not to “Biden voters,” only to “Trump blue-collar voters

Senator Josh Hawley introduced new legislation that would distribute $600 tariff rebate checks to American households—but with eligibility limited to working-class voters, not high-income earners. The Missouri Republican said the measure would prioritize what he described as “Trump blue-collar voters.”

Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on the “War Room” podcast hosted by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Hawley said, “You wouldn’t give it to everybody, you’d give it to the working people. You’d give it to our people.” He continued, “The rich people don’t need it … what I mean by that is all those Democrat donors of Wall Street, all these hedge fund guys, who all hate the tariffs, by the way.”

Hawley formally introduced the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025 on July 28. The bill proposes refundable tax credits of at least $600 per adult and dependent child, financed by tariff revenues. The rebate phases out at $75,000 in individual income or $150,000 for joint filers, with higher check amounts possible if revenues exceed projections.

“We’re on track to raise over $150 billion from tariff revenues this year alone,” Hawley said on the podcast. “My view is, we ought to give a portion of that back to our working-class blue-collar voters who powered the Trump revolution, who got this president into office multiple times, and who are the backbone of this nation.”

Tariffs are applied to imported goods, with costs typically passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. While recent increases in inventory have helped delay price hikes, economists note that as stockpiles decline, the cost of consumer goods is expected to rise.

Hawley criticized the previous administration’s economic policies, stating, “Biden has crushed these people.” He framed the rebate checks as part of a broader economic vision, adding, “What a legacy for Donald Trump to say, ‘I’m gonna take a portion of this massive money’ that he’s raising on these tariffs, and return it to the people who run this country and are gonna build our future.”

The rebate plan includes strict eligibility criteria, similar to the stimulus payments distributed during the early years of the Trump administration.