Thanks to a February Supreme Court ruling that deemed Trump’s tariffs illegal, the administration is now having to reimburse companies for duties they paid — to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. As Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had warned before the decision, paying it all back is a logistical nightmare.
Fans of bureaucracy, forms, acronyms, and endless memos will be thrilled:
U.S. businesses that paid tariffs that the Supreme Court ruled were illegal can start applying for refunds Monday.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's launch of an online portal for tariff refund applications marks the first phase of its efforts to comply with court orders to reimburse billions of dollars in paid tariffs and interest to importers.
Context: The Supreme Court didn't address how the government should refund tariffs paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), but the Court of International Trade last month ordered the administration to begin the reimbursements process.
The Chinese, who will likely get a whole lot of money back, are sure to be delighted:
WATCH: Reporter says, Next week, importers can start requesting tariff refunds. My understanding is that $127 billion is eligible. What’s that process look like?
— THE GLOBAL WATCHDOG (@glwatchdog) April 20, 2026
Bessent: Money is not going out of the Treasury. Thanks to the Supreme Court, some of the money is heading to… pic.twitter.com/SiUfr8cEmU
Bessent: Money is not going out of the Treasury. Thanks to the Supreme Court, some of the money is heading to CHINA.
MORE: Breaking: Supreme Court Says No to Tariffs by Emergency Decree
Presser: President Trump Reacts to Supreme Court Tariff Decision
As our Susie Moore reported, a 6-3 majority decision by the nation’s top court ruled that Trump exceeded his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose the tariffs, which he used as both an economic tool and a negotiating tactic. He called the ruling a "ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision," and also vowed to find other ways to impose tariffs that would bring in even more cash.
We have alternatives, great alternatives, could be more money. We'll take in more money and we'll be a lot stronger for it.
In the meantime, however, it’s bureaucracy hour:
The scale of the refunds could be significant for businesses across industries. Court filings show more than 330,000 importers paid duties on over 53 million shipments, totaling roughly $166 billion.
Starting Monday, companies and their customs brokers can submit refund requests through CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal using a newly developed tool known as the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE.
The system allows importers to file declarations listing the entries for which they are seeking refunds. Once a claim is validated, CBP will recalculate the duties without the IEEPA tariffs and reliquidate the entries, triggering repayment.
Ugh, my head hurts just thinking about it. Will any of this make life better for the average American? Unlikely.
Tariff refunds unlikely to benefit consumers, CNBC CFO Council survey finds https://t.co/UVMYqLfNax
— CNBC (@CNBC) April 13, 2026
Companies are happy to accept their refunds, but many aren’t about to share them with you:
Even though the Supreme Court struck down a large portion of President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda — with a judge later ordering the government to prepare to potentially pay billions of dollars in refunds to importers who paid the tariffs — consumers shouldn’t expect to see any money back.
That’s according to the latest CNBC CFO Council quarterly survey. While 12 of the 25 chief financial officers said their company plans to apply for tariff refunds, none said they intend to directly share that money with customers.
The largest opponent the administration has faced since it took over in January 2025 isn’t the Democrats, it hasn’t been the corrupt media, and it arguably hasn’t even been foreign adversaries like Iran. It’s been the courts, and they’ve attempted to block his agenda seemingly at every turn. Now, a bunch of accountants and lawyers are probably going to rake in the overtime, and very little of this vast exercise makes the country better.
Editor's Note: Unelected federal judges are hijacking President Trump's agenda and insulting the will of the people.
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