A $2,000 Tariff Dividend for Everyone? Bad Idea

Unsustainable government borrowing has already put the economy on course for fiscal breakdown — but don’t discount Washington’s ability to make things worse.

The latest idea from the White House is to use tariff revenue to offer taxpayers a “dividend” of at least $2,000 a person. The administration hasn’t said whether it intends this as a one-off payment or an annual distribution, as the term “dividend” seems to suggest. Exactly who would receive this bounty is also uncertain. The president has promised cash for “everyone” — except for “high-income people.”