The Trump administration has returned roughly $100 billion in tariff payments collected under President Donald Trump’s “liberation day” trade policy after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the administration lacked the authority to impose the duties under emergency economic powers.

According to a filing made Tuesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the U.S. Court of International Trade, the agency has already refunded approximately 60% of the $165 billion collected under the tariff program, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.

The refunds began after the Supreme Court, in February, allowed a lower court’s ruling to stand, preventing the administration from relying on emergency powers to enforce the tariffs. As a result, CBP was directed to begin processing repayment claims.

CBP also disclosed that it has approved more than $128 billion in refund requests for processing, signaling that billions of dollars in additional repayments are still expected.

The speed of the refund effort has caught many trade lawyers and industry observers off guard, especially after administration officials previously indicated that resolving the claims could take years.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in February that ongoing court battles would likely delay any repayments and argued that, if refunds ultimately became necessary, they would amount to “the ultimate corporate welfare.”

President Trump has sharply criticized the Supreme Court’s decision. Writing on Truth Social last month, he argued that the ruling cost the United States “TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS” by striking down the tariffs.

Trade attorney Ted Murphy of Sidley Austin said the administration has processed the refunds at a surprisingly rapid pace. Walker Livingston, an analyst at Capstone, likewise said he was “very pleasantly surprised” by how quickly the government has moved.

Not everyone is satisfied with how the money is being distributed.

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, argued that the refunds are flowing back to importing companies rather than to the consumers who ultimately absorbed the higher prices caused by the tariffs.

“Trump is sending the ‘refunds’ to the companies, not working people,” Casar said. “Every single cent of these refunds should go back to American consumers.”

Under the court’s refund framework, only the official “importer of record” is eligible to submit claims through CBP. As a result, many smaller businesses that paid higher costs indirectly cannot seek refunds themselves, while others say they were unaware of the process or lack the resources needed to file claims.

Even as the refunds continue, the administration is pressing ahead with a new round of tariffs under separate legal authority. Last week, it imposed fresh duties ranging from 10% to 12.5% on imports from more than 60 countries and territories under different statutory provisions.

Those newly imposed tariffs have already been challenged in court at least three times, including by attorneys who successfully fought the original “liberation day” tariffs.

{Matzav.com}