Camilla Jessen
The U.S. collected nearly twice as much in tariffs in April as the previous month.
The U.S. Treasury collected a record-breaking $16.3 billion in customs duties in April, nearly double the $8.7 billion collected in March, according to the department’s latest monthly report.
The surge adds to a growing stream of revenue from tariffs imposed in recent years, especially under President Donald Trump’s trade policies.
According to CNN and Digi24, citing the Treasury data via News.ro, the spike in tariff income marks a continuation of a trend that began earlier in the year.
Since October 2024, when fiscal year 2025 began, the government has already collected about $63.3 billion in customs duties—$15 billion more than in the same period last year.
Even in March, customs revenue had already climbed from February, suggesting that the Trump administration’s renewed push for tariffs could continue to inject revenue into the federal budget.
“The Surprise Is They Think It’s a Good Thing”
Not everyone is cheering the growing tariff revenue.
While the White House highlights the inflow as a budget boost, critics warn the numbers reflect a tax burden on American consumers and businesses.
“It’s not surprising that tariff revenue is rising, given the unprecedented increase in tariffs imposed by the president,” said Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation, in a comment to CNN.
The surprise is that Trump and his cabinet seem to think this is a good thing for the U.S. economy
York added that claims from the Trump administration that tariffs could eventually generate $600 billion annually are wildly optimistic.
“These are naive numbers that don’t take into account how people’s behavior is changing and how the economy will be affected by higher tariffs,” York said.
“Tariffs are likely to increase by somewhere around $200 billion this year, and that’s a tax increase that falls primarily on people and businesses in the United States.”
Budget Surplus in April, But the Big Picture Is Bleaker
Despite the massive customs duty haul, the U.S. faces a wider fiscal imbalance.
April recorded a $258 billion monthly surplus, but since the start of the year, the federal government has run a deficit of over $1 trillion.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the overall federal deficit for this year will reach $1.9 trillion, equivalent to 6.2% of the nation’s GDP.
The spike in tariff revenue may offer some short-term relief to the Treasury, but analysts caution that the longer-term effects of tariffs—higher consumer prices, strained trade relationships, and slowed economic growth—could carry heavier costs.ual to 6.2% of gross domestic product.
