Rumors about new stimulus payments are circulating online. Is reality is different, or are we able to actually expect stimulus checks? A bill was just introduced. It is early in its life and its future is uncertain. Rumors of a new round of direct government payments have gained ground in online forums and media outlets in recent weeks.
This conversation has heated up after the introduction of a bill in the United States Senate. Rumors of immediate, direct money from the government have gained support in some segments of the population. So, we had to investigate and find the truth.
The process for passing a law of this type is complex and lengthy. It involves many stages of debate and approval. The source of the current round of rumors is the introduction of the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025.
New Stimulus Checks Proposal: $600 for Americans
This bill was introduced in the Senate on July 28, 2025, by the United States senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri. After being read for the first time, the bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee. This is standard procedure and begins a process that will never end, in the absence of further legislation.
The bill’s goal is to change the United States Internal Revenue Code. Its fundamental mechanism is to take part of the money the government raises through tariffs on imports and give it to taxpayers.
The concept is to give this money back to people as a tax credit or a cash payout. The payment program, as designed in the bill, sets a minimum payment of $600 to each eligible adult and each dependent child in a home. This would mean a total minimum benefit of $2,400 for a family with two adults and two children.
The figure may be higher, as the bill contains a clause that would allow the amount to go up if trade tariff money collected exceeds the administration’s estimates. People would get the money through the income tax system. Payments would be refundable tax credits for the 2025 tax year.
This means eligible taxpayers would get the benefit as either a deduction on their yearly tax bill or a refund if the credit is more than they owe. If the law is passed, this would take time, so the payment might come in late 2025 or even in 2026. Who would get the full benefit is not everyone.
Will 2025 Bring New Stimulus Checks for Millions?
The bill has income levels where the payout would be phased out. These levels are $75,000 in adjusted gross income for an individual filing on their own, $112,500 for heads of household, and $150,000 for married filing jointly.
The payout would then be phased out once income passes these levels. Once the levels are passed, the benefit is then eliminated for those with more money, a way to pay through trade tariffs One of the key ways the American Worker Rebate Act is different than other stimulus programs is where the money comes from.
The proposal says the payments will be paid for from the money the government gets from tariffs on imports. The idea is that money that is collected from trade tariffs (which can affect prices) should be given back to working families. Senator Hawley said the proposal was to “make sure that the benefits of tariffs go to American workers and not to Washington bureaucracies.”