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Will Americans Get Tariff Stimulus Checks Soon? Prediction Market Says Don't Hold You Breath

benzinga_article
Feb 17, 2026 at 07:09 AM
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In 2025, Trump promised $2,000 dividend checks funded by tariffs, but analysts doubt feasibility. The Tax Foundation highlights a significant gap between the dividend cost and tariffs collected. Trump claims no Congressional approval is needed, while NEC Director Hassett suggests otherwise. Prediction markets show low confidence, with a 69% chance that checks won't be issued before 2027, indicating skepticism about the tariff stimulus checks.

In November 2025, President Donald Trump promised that Americans would receive a dividend of "at least $2,000 a person," funded by U.S. tariff revenues.

Cost Vs. Tariffs Collected

While analysis from the Tax Foundation shows a massive gap between the estimated cost of this dividend and the tariffs collected, Kevin Hassett, the Director of the National Economic Council (NEC), is "pretty sure" there's enough room for such a payment.

Congressional Approval Not Necessary, Says Trump

When asked if the tariff dividend checks needed any approval, Trump said, “I believe we can do that without Congress.” In contrast, Hassett had earlier said that checks would "depend on what happens with Congress."

Here's What Prediction Market Thinks

Like most things these days, the prediction market has something to say about the checks.

Data from Kalshi, a federally authorized betting platform, shows that over $2.4 million has been bet on the contract “Will Americans receive tariff stimulus checks?”

Several options have been listed on the contract, out of which two have already resolved to "No"— "Before 2026" and "Before February".

The "Before March" option has a 1% probability as per the bettors, while the "Before April", "Before May" and "Before June" options have 3%, 4% and 7% probability, respectively.

The "Before 2027" option has the highest probability at 32%, with 69% probability for "No".

This indicates that the prediction market is not very confident about Trump issuing tariff stimulus checks.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

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