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Trump administration refunds importers about $100 bln in previously collected tariffs
The Trump administration has refunded approximately $100bn in tariffs collected under powers the Supreme Court struck down in February. Companies like Target and Nintendo reported windfalls, while new tariffs via different legal routes face a 25-state lawsuit.
The Trump administration has repaid importers roughly $100bn in tariffs collected before the Supreme Court ruled the underlying duties unlawful, according to customs officials and court filings. The figure represents about 60% of the total collected under the president's trade policy, which multiple reports put at $165bn or $166bn.
US Customs and Border Protection disclosed in a filing with the US Court of International Trade that it had returned more than three-quarters of $128.68bn in tariff revenues earmarked as "potential and certified refunds". "CBP's financial accounting system receives updates from Treasury that indicate these CBP certified refunds are being regularly dispersed," Brandon Lord, executive director of CBP's Trade Policy and Programs directorate, said in the filing.
Legal background
The refunds follow the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in February that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose fentanyl-related tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, and broader "reciprocal" tariffs on more than 90 countries. The court found IEEPA did not authorise such duties. Trump denounced the ruling, branding the six justices who sided against him "fools" and "lapdogs" for the Democratic Party.
The ruling did not nullify tariffs on specific industries invoked under the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, leaving intact duties on steel, automobiles and copper. Following the Supreme Court's decision, the US Court of International Trade in March ruled that companies affected by the invalidated tariffs should be refunded.
Company windfalls
The refunds have provided a significant financial boost to several large companies. Target received a $994m pre-tax reimbursement, which helped double its second-quarter operating income to $2.6bn from $1.3bn a year earlier. Chief financial officer Jim Lee said, "We have and will continue to invest in price." The retailer, which has been reducing its reliance on Chinese sourcing, has cut prices on more than 10,000 items over the past year.
Nintendo reported a 53.5% profit surge to ¥147.4bn (£694m) in the three months to June, beating forecasts, with the company attributing the gain to tariff refunds. Nintendo had filed a lawsuit after the Supreme Court ruling demanding a full refund plus interest. The company's Tokyo-listed shares rose 2.87% after the earnings release. Estée Lauder recorded a $38m benefit in cost of sales from tariff refunds, and its share price jumped about 17% after results exceeded expectations.
New tariffs and legal challenges
Despite the court ruling, the administration has continued to impose duties through other legal mechanisms. Last month, it announced levies of 10-12.5% on imports from dozens of countries, claiming insufficient action on forced labour. These tariffs were introduced under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which targets countries that engage in forced labour.
On Monday, a coalition of 25 US states, including New York, California, Arizona and Colorado, filed a legal challenge against the latest tariffs, calling them a pretext to re-impose the duties struck down in February. The states have asked the court to stop the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order refunds of duties already paid. They argue the tariffs on 59 countries and the EU cover 99.4% of US imports. New York attorney general Letitia James said the administration was "once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs".
Trade tensions continue
Trump has argued the trade policy will boost American manufacturing and jobs, but economists have warned that consumers may face higher prices as businesses pass on extra costs. The president has threatened to impose a 50% levy on nearly $20bn (C$28bn) worth of imports from Canada, and announced on Monday a three-day delay in introducing new import taxes on various Canadian goods as negotiations continue. The two sides remain at an impasse over issues including US tariffs on autos and Canadian province-level bans on American liquor sales. Meanwhile, the administration has said countries have not done enough to crack down on products made by forced labour, justifying the new tariffs.
How each outlet told it
Al Jazeera
Framing: Highlights the refund amount and the Supreme Court action that triggered it, emphasizing the legal ruling. — Analytical and factual, with a critical edge in describing Trump's denunciation of the ruling.
Facts Included:
The Trump administration has refunded about $100bn in tariffs since the Supreme Court ruled against its use of emergency powers.
The Trump administration collected about $166bn from US importers before the Supreme Court struck down a large portion of the tariff regime in a 6-3 ruling in February.
In a court filing on Tuesday, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) disclosed it had returned more than three-quarters of $128.68bn in tariff revenues earmarked as 'potential and certified refunds'.
Brandon Lord, executive director of CBP's Trade Policy and Programs directorate, said in the filing that refunds are being regularly dispersed.
The Supreme Court found Trump exceeded his authority when he invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose fentanyl-related tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, and broader 'reciprocal' tariffs on more than 90 countries.
Trump denounced the ruling, branding the six justices who sided against him 'fools' and 'lapdogs' for the Democratic Party.
The ruling did not nullify tariffs on specific industries invoked under the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, leaving intact duties on steel, automobiles, and copper.
Following the Supreme Court's decision, the US Court of International Trade in March ruled that companies affected by the invalidated tariffs should be refunded.
Last month, the administration announced levies of 10-12.5 percent on imports from dozens of countries, claiming insufficient action on forced labour.
On Monday, 25 US states, including New York, California, Arizona and Colorado, filed a legal challenge against the latest tariffs, calling them a pretext to re-impose the duties struck down in February.
Framing: Highlights Target's $1bn boost from tariff refunds, focusing on the retail giant's financial benefit. — Business-focused and descriptive, quoting executives and noting market reactions.
Facts Included:
Target received a $994 million pre-tax reimbursement from tariff refunds.
This boosted Target's second quarter operating income to $2.6bn from $1.3bn last year.
The refunds followed a Supreme Court ruling that declared a wave of Trump's import tariffs unlawful.
Trump has continued to impose duties through different legal means.
Trump has threatened to impose a 50% levy on nearly $20bn (C$28bn) worth of imports from Canada.
The two sides have been at an impasse on issues including US tariffs on autos and Canadian provinces banning American liquor sales.
Trump has argued the trade policy will boost American manufacturing and jobs.
Economists have warned prices for consumers can rise as businesses pass on extra costs.
The refund represented about 60% of all tariff revenue collected under the policy, with significant amounts still to be repaid.
Target CFO Jim Lee said 'We have and will continue to invest in price'.
Target aims to reduce reliance on China for sourcing products; 30% of store-label goods from China, previously 60% in 2017.
Target cut prices on more than 10,000 items over the past year.
CEO Michael Fiddelke said 'While there's still meaningful work ahead, we're encouraged by the progress we're making'.
Estee Lauder recorded a '$38m benefit in the cost of sales' from tariff refunds.
Estee Lauder's share price jumped about 17% after results exceeded expectations.
Framing: Same headline as the other BBC article, emphasizing the $1bn boost to Target. — Business-focused with added emphasis on ongoing trade negotiations; neutral tone.
Facts Included:
Target received a $994 million pre-tax reimbursement from tariff refunds.
This resulted in Target's second quarter operating income doubling to $2.6bn from $1.3bn last year.
The refunds followed a Supreme Court ruling that declared a wave of Trump's import tariffs unlawful.
Trump has continued to impose duties through different legal means.
Trump announced on Monday he would delay the introduction of new import taxes on various Canadian goods for three days.
Trump has threatened to impose a 50% levy on nearly $20bn (C$28bn) worth of imports from Canada.
The two sides have been at an impasse on issues including US tariffs on autos and Canadian provinces banning American liquor sales.
Trump has argued the trade policy will boost American manufacturing and jobs.
Economists have warned prices for consumers can rise as businesses pass on extra costs.
Framing: Focuses on the proportion of tariff refunds (60% of $165bn) paid back, emphasizing the scale and partial nature of the repayment. — Measured; presents the refund figure and legal actions without overt alarm, ending with a critical quote from Letitia James.
Facts Included:
The Trump administration has refunded about $100bn from tariffs collected before the Supreme Court ruled them illegal.
The $100bn figure represents 60% of the total $165bn collected from Donald Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs.
The figure was reported by customs officials to the US court of international trade (CIT) on Tuesday, according to the Financial Times.
In February, the Supreme Court struck down a chunk of the extra tariffs Trump had imposed.
Trump has pitched tariffs as a solution for the US economy, bringing back domestic production, securing better trade deals and closing the deficit.
The federal deficit has grown after narrowing last year. It hit $1.37tn in the first nine months of the fiscal year, up 2% compared with the same period in 2025.
Trump imposed a fresh round of tariffs on more than 80 countries last month, with levies ranging between 10% and 12.5% on countries including the UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, India, China and the EU's 27 member states.
The latest tariffs have been introduced under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, aimed against countries that engage in forced labour.
This week a coalition of 25 US states sued the Trump administration over the levies, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes struck down by the Supreme Court.
The states have asked the CIT to stop the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order refunds of duties already paid.
The states argue that the tariffs on 59 countries and the EU cover 99.4% of US imports.
Officials in the Trump administration have said the countries have not done enough to crack down on products made by forced labour.
New York attorney general Letitia James said the Trump administration was 'once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs'.
Framing: Highlights the 'Mamma mia!' reaction to a 53% profit spike at Nintendo, emphasizing the company's windfall from tariff refunds. — Lighthearted and slightly ironic (using Italian exclamation), but also informative about business implications.
Facts Included:
Nintendo reported a 53.5% profit surge to ¥147.4bn (£694m) over the three months to June, beating forecasts for ¥77.8bn.
The profit jump was aided by a refund on American tariffs after the Supreme Court ruled Trump's 'Liberation Day' trade levies illegal.
The Trump administration has refunded about $100bn from the tariffs charged before the court ruling, representing 60% of the total $165bn collected.
Nintendo's Tokyo-listed shares were up 2.87% on Thursday after the earnings release.
Nintendo filed a lawsuit weeks after the Supreme Court ruling demanding a full refund plus interest.
Nintendo was hit with a class action lawsuit on behalf of customers claiming the firm hiked prices because of tariffs but later benefited from refunds.
Nintendo's lawyers described the lawsuit as 'meritless' and said the price customers paid represents the purchase price of goods.
Last month, Trump imposed a fresh round of tariffs on more than 80 countries, including Japan.
A coalition of 25 US states are suing the Trump administration over the levies.
Sales of Switch 2 console 'maintained strong sales momentum' and games like Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Star Fox, and Pokémon Pokopia 'performed steadily'.
Revenue dropped by 10% to ¥517.8bn compared with the same period last year.
Framing: States the refund figure plainly without additional context about percentage or legal details. — Neutral and factual, relying on official documents and CNBC report.
Facts Included:
The Trump administration has refunded importers about $100 billion in tariffs collected before the Supreme Court struck down duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The refunded amount represents about 60% of the roughly $166 billion collected.
In February, the Supreme Court ruled that IEEPA did not authorize the president to impose such duties.
After the ruling, a federal court ordered the government to return the previously collected funds to importers.
Despite the court rulings, the Trump administration is seeking to restore a similar tariff regime through other legal mechanisms, as noted by CNBC.
Trump said the tariffs had brought the country 'hundreds of billions of dollars' and that the Supreme Court's decision had merely forced the administration to use a different method to impose them.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe Trump administration has refunded about $100bn from tariffs collected before the Supreme Court ruled them illegal.
ClaimThe Trump administration has pitched tariffs as a solution for the US economy, bringing back domestic production, securing better trade deals and closing the budget deficit.
ClaimLast month, the Trump administration imposed a fresh round of tariffs on more than 80 countries, with levies ranging between 10% and 12.5% on countries including the UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, India, China and the EU's 27 member states.
ClaimA coalition of 25 US states sued the Trump administration over the latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing the import taxes struck down by the Supreme Court.
ClaimLetitia James, New York attorney general, said the Trump administration was 'once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs.'
ClaimNintendo was hit with a class action lawsuit on behalf of customers claiming the firm hiked prices because of tariffs but later benefited from refunds.
ClaimIn a court filing on Tuesday, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) disclosed it had returned more than three-quarters of $128.68bn in tariff revenues earmarked as 'potential and certified refunds'.
ClaimThe Supreme Court found trump exceeded his authority when he invoked IEEPA to impose fentanyl-related tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, and broader 'reciprocal' tariffs on more than 90 countries.
ClaimThe ruling did not nullify tariffs on specific industries invoked under the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, leaving intact duties on steel, automobiles, and copper.
ClaimFollowing the Supreme Court's decision, the US Court of International Trade in March ruled that companies affected by the invalidated tariffs should be refunded.