By Liesel Nygard
masslive.com
(TNS)
The Trump administration has begun accepting applications from American businesses seeking refunds for more than $160 billion in tariffs.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activated a new claims system on Monday for importers seeking repayments of tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), following a landmark Supreme Court defeat for the administration’s tariff agenda.
In February, the Supreme Court struck down sweeping global tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump under the act, stating that while the president has broad emergency powers, the authority to impose taxes and tariffs rests with Congress.
An order from the U.S. Court of International Trade required the government to begin refunding these duties, which have impacted more than 330,000 importers and over 53 million shipments since they were launched a year ago on what the administration called “Liberation Day.”
“All importers of record whose entries were subject to IEEPA duties are entitled to the benefit” from the high court’s ruling,” Judge Richard Eaton wrote in March, the BBC reported.
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To handle the volume of claims, the CBP said it is deploying the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries functionality. This allows refunds for importers to be in one lump sum rather than making businesses apply item by item.
Importers and authorized brokers can expect to receive refunds within 60 to 90 days.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., commented on the administration’s rollout Monday, noting that tens of thousands of businesses have already lined up for the refund.
“56,497 companies already applied to get $166 BILLION in refunds for Donald Trump’s illegal tariffs,” Warren wrote. “But where’s Trump’s plan to give the American people their money back? Every second that ticks by with no refund for American families is theft in broad daylight.”
Whether American consumers see any benefit depends entirely on the business that is collecting the refund, according to The Guardian.
In a February statement, FedEx called the tariffs issued under the IEEPA “unlawful” and said that shippers and customers will see a refund if they were affected.
Similarly, UPS says on its website that it will establish a process to issue customer refunds once it receives the funds from CBP.
Photo caption: President Donald Trump speaks during a trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Touting the event as “Liberation Day,” Trump announced additional tariffs targeting goods imported to the U.S. (White House via YouTube)
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©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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