Families who have been hit hard by rising costs due to tariffs could see some money in their pockets, if a recently introduced bill passes. That’s according to U.S. Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), who is pushing for the Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act.
If passed, rebates of $600 would go to single adults making $90,000 or less or heads of households making $120,000 or less. Rebates of $1,200 would go to people who file taxes jointly and make $180,000 or less. Additionally, families would be eligible for an extra $600 per child.
“This bill would provide American consumers with direct tax rebates, delivering real financial relief to families across New York and putting money back in their pockets," Gillibrand said Thursday. "My legislation would take the billions of dollars the government has collected from these tariff costs that are ultimately passed on to consumers, and return that money directly to hardworking families.”
For context, in 2024, the median household income was below $70,000 for each of Western New York’s eight counties, according to the Census Bureau. Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Allegany counties had the lowest median incomes, as each county had a median household income between $54,000 and $59,000 dollars.
“It's been nearly a year since President Trump announced these tariff policies. Since they took effect, we've seen a direct and damaging hit to our workforce," Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand said she is supporting this bill after seeing major job losses in New York.
"A recent report from the Center for American Progress shows that since President Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs last April, our country has lost nearly 200,000 blue collar jobs, including 89,000 manufacturing jobs," she added. "These are good paying jobs, often union jobs that support families and communities around New York."
