Actually using import taxes – tariffs – to finance a big chunk of the federal government would be a painful and perilous undertaking, budget wonks say.

The Congressional Budget Office projected President Trump's tariffs could raise trillions of dollars over the next decade — but they could also lead to higher inflation and slower economic growth.

The $2.8 trillion figure is after accounting for how the tariff agenda would reduce the size of the U.S. economy, according to the CBO.