Trump Administration Processes Billions in Tariff Refunds
The Trump administration is processing more than $35.5 billion in tariff refunds for importers after a Supreme Court ruling determined that the president’s tariff policy was unlawful, according to a court filing released on Tuesday.
Refunds Include Interest Payments
The refunds are being managed through a government online portal and include interest on duties paid across more than 8 million import entries. Brandon Lord, executive director of trade programs at Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Trade, said the Treasury Department has already begun issuing payments to eligible importers.
Thousands of Claims Already Approved
According to the filing, the system handling claims tied to roughly $166 billion in overturned duties had validated nearly 87,000 declarations as of Monday. Around 126,000 declarations have been submitted since the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) system launched on April 20.
Officials also confirmed that more than 8.3 million accepted import entries have already been reprocessed to remove duties linked to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Supreme Court Ruled Trump Tariffs Unlawful
The refund process follows a Supreme Court ruling issued on February 20, which found that U.S. President Donald Trump unlawfully used the IEEPA to impose tariffs on imported goods.
The court’s 6-3 decision did not directly address refund procedures, leaving lower courts responsible for resolving compensation-related matters.
Additional Refund Phases Still Pending
The filing noted that nearly 1,900 consolidated refunds have not yet been sent to the Treasury Department because some importers failed to provide bank account information.
Customs and Border Protection previously stated that the first phase of the refund program cannot process claims for more than one-third of the affected import entries due to more complex circumstances. Authorities have not provided a timeline for future phases of the refund process.
Some importers reportedly received their first refund payments earlier this week, ahead of expectations.
