US refunds $100bn in Trump tariffs struck down by Supreme Court
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- US Customs and Border Protection disclosed in a Tuesday court filing that it has refunded more than three-quarters of $128.68 billion in tariff revenues flagged as "potential and certified refunds," roughly $100 billion returned to importers
- The US Supreme Court struck down Trump's tariff regime in a 6-3 February ruling, finding he exceeded his authority by invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose fentanyl-related tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, plus broader "reciprocal" tariffs on more than 90 countries
- The US Court of International Trade ruled in March that companies affected by the invalidated tariffs should be refunded, with CBP having collected roughly $166 billion from US importers before the Supreme Court's decision
- Trump denounced the six majority justices as "fools" and "lapdogs" for the Democratic Party; the ruling left intact sector-specific tariffs under the 1962 Trade Expansion Act on steel, automobiles, and copper
- The Trump administration last month announced 10-12.5 percent levies on imports from dozens of countries it claims aren't acting forcefully enough against forced labor — duties that 25 US states, including New York, California, Arizona, and Colorado, filed a legal challenge against Monday, calling them a pretext to reimpose the duties struck down in February
Why it matters: The 25-state lawsuit filed Monday characterizes the administration's forced-labor tariffs as a 'pretext' to reimpose duties the Supreme Court already invalidated, meaning the $100 billion in refunds could be just the first round of a legal fight that keeps importers in limbo while the administration cycles through alternative justifications.
