U.S. TARIFF REVENUE COVERED 22¢ OF EACH $1 IN INTEREST

U.S. customs duties totaled $210.3 billion in fiscal 2025. Federal net-interest spending was $970 billion. That means customs duties equaled 21.68% of the annual interest bill: about 22¢ for every $1.

The fiscal scale mismatch is the point. Tariff revenue was substantial, but $759.7 billion of net-interest spending remained after matching the two same-year totals.

This is not an earmarking claim. Customs duties are not assigned directly to interest payments. It is a same-year comparison of federal cash flows, and it does not measure the wider economic effects of tariffs, imports, prices, the deficit, or policy quality.