An official timeline for stimulus checks continues to loom as President Trump says, «I haven’t made my commitment yet» as to when the checks will be sent out.
In an interview on Feb. 4, NBC reporter Tom Llamas asked Trump about an update on the stimulus checks, to which Trump responded, «I’m looking at it very seriously. I haven’t made my commitment yet, but I may make my commitment.»
Trump had originally said in late 2025 that Americans would receive these checks mid-2026, yet he moved this timeline back last month in an interview with The New York Times, saying Americans can expect these checks toward the end of the year. Now it remains uncertain when to truly expect these stimulus checks, if ever.
Here’s the latest verified information on stimulus checks in February 2026 and updates on previous talk of checks.
Are we getting stimulus checks in 2026?
It seems unlikely these stimulus checks would be issued in February 2026 since the Supreme Court still needs to decide if it’s even legal for Trump to send the checks out.
The money Trump plans to use for the stimulus checks comes from tariffs he has imposed; the Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether the tariffs were constitutional in the first place. Without a ruling from the Supreme Court, there cannot be a proper timeline for when the stimulus checks will be sent out.
If the Supreme Court rules these tariffs unconstitutional, he must refund anyone who paid the tariffs.
Trump is aware of the issues this would cause, outlining in a Truth Social post, «We are talking about Trillions of Dollars! It would be a complete mess, and almost impossible for our Country to pay.»
The Supreme Court’s next anticipated opinion day is Feb. 20, which is when they may discuss the legality of Trump’s tariffs.
Are the stimulus checks legitimate?
Although Trump has promised Americans a $2,000 stimulus check to alleviate the financial burdens from his tariff policies, without approval from Congress and a Supreme Court ruling that the tariffs are constitutional, these checks cannot be sent out.
If you were notified of a stimulus payment, this is probably a scam since the IRS has not released any official statements about the stimulus checks as of late. The IRS has warned that texts or emails claiming to be stimulus payments are scams and should not be opened or responded to.
Any immediate news regarding stimulus checks should be treated with caution.
This isn’t the 1st stimulus check Trump suggested
This is not the first suggestion of using funds generated by tariffs to send a stimulus payment to Americans. There was a previous discussion of doing this in August 2025.