GOP lawmaker has an update on $2,000 stimulus checks — and it's not good news for Americans
The Trump tariffs might have divided people and sent global trade order for a toss, but the president promised that Americans would be rewarded for it. Unfortunately, considering the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, that might not be the case any longer. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) recently said that it would be best for everyone to forget about the promised $2,000 stimulus checks. He did, however, seem optimistic about the future of the President’s tariff policy.
When asked if people should forget about the checks, Arrington said, “I think so for now at least. It will be litigated…we’re going to live with whatever the courts decide.” Arrington urged that the tariff policies were not going anywhere and would be heard in an international trade court in New York. Until then, the 15% structure will be in place. The President’s team will try to decide on the matter as soon as possible.
“There is a process with the 301 tariffs as part of the Trade Act to put in place basically the same tariff regime for the same purposes and same motivation, which is to address the unfair trade practices and those issues of National Security. So, I think it is a matter of time before this temporary section 122, which only allows upto 15% for 150 days…I think this is going to snap back to that initial regime with a more permanent 301 tariff status,” Arrington added.
Making tariffs permanent does not have to be a matter that is taken to the courts. All that Republicans need is a majority in the Senate, which they have at the moment. Arrington called it the most efficient tool they had, signalling that his party might have plans for that in the near future. “We don’t need more than a simple majority in the Senate,” he said.
Arrington insisted that it would be good to have some Democrats on their side as well as the matter pertained to National Security. However, he understood that it was unlikely since it's quite close to the Midterm elections. Echoing the President, the Texas Republican said that the tariffs brought in billions of dollars into the country and were helping reduce the trade deficit as well.
Naturally, people will be disappointed about not getting their promised stimulus checks. On top of it, Arrington is not the only one subscribing to this belief, as several experts have echoed his thoughts. Stephen Kates, a financial analyst at Bankrate, believes that the checks were a bit too ambitious right from the start. Now with the Supreme Court order, they seem all the more unlikely. “Tariff dividends were a long shot from the beginning,” he said, as per CNBC. “Given the White House’s lack of authority to unilaterally issue stimulus checks to Americans, the idea was largely aspirational.”
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