Administration refunds roughly $100B in tariffs after Supreme Court strikes down policy

The Trump administration has now refunded about $100 billion in tariffs that the Supreme Court struck down in February, according to a new court filing. The filing says that is more than half of the roughly $166 billion owed to importers that paid duties imposed under the administration’s earlier tariff program. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been processing the repayments after the court ruled that Trump exceeded his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to impose the levies. ### Where does the $100 billion figure come from? An August 2026 filing in the U.S. Court of International Trade said the administration had paid out a milestone $100 billion through the end of July. ABC News reported that the money covers thousands of American businesses that paid tariffs later invalidated by the Supreme Court. NBC News, citing the same filing, said the refunds represent about 60% of the $166 billion the government expects to return. (abcnews.com) February 20, 2026, was the turning point in the case. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the administration’s IEEPA-based tariffs exceeded the powers Congress gave the president under that statute, according to SCOTUSblog and legal analyses published after the decision. The justices did not settle the mechanics of refunds, leaving lower courts and customs officials to work through how importers would be repaid. (abcnews.com) ### Which tariffs were struck down? The Supreme Court ruling covered tariffs Trump had imposed under IEEPA, including the administration’s “reciprocal” tariff program and other emergency-based duties tied to trade deficits and fentanyl-related threats, according to legal summaries published after the decision. ABC News reported earlier that the invalidated measures included the “Liberation Day” tariffs and a 10% tariff on all imports. (scotusblog.com) May 2026 brought the first large wave of repayments. ABC News reported then that Customs had launched an online portal for businesses to seek refunds and that initial payments were beginning to reach company accounts. NBC News reported in late May that more than $20 billion had already been repaid at that stage. ### Why are some businesses still fighting for money? (bdo.com) Collective Horology, an independent watchmaker, is among the businesses suing the administration over unpaid refunds, NewsNation reported on August 5. Co-founder Gabe Reilly told NewsNation the company was owed more than six figures and had received “exactly zero dollars” as of August 4, nearly six months after the Supreme Court ruling. (abcnews.com) The same lawsuit alleges that some refund payments were sent to third-party shippers or customs intermediaries rather than to the businesses that ultimately bore the cost. That dispute reflects how tariffs are often remitted through brokers, freight forwarders or other logistics firms even when the importer is the economic party seeking repayment. NewsNation said the case is adding to a broader fight over who is legally entitled to recover the money. (newsnationnow.com) ### Did the administration replace the old tariffs? The administration moved quickly after the February ruling. SCOTUSblog said Trump announced across-the-board tariffs under Section 122 shortly after the decision, and later reporting said the White House also turned to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 for new duties. NewsNation reported last week that those Section 301 tariffs now cover 99% of U.S. imports and are being challenged by small businesses and states. (newsnationnow.com) March 4, 2026, added another legal step when Judge Richard Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that companies that paid the struck-down tariffs were entitled to refunds, according to NBC News. A separate NBC report said a federal court later rejected an administration effort to slow the repayment process. ### What happens next for importers and the courts? (scotusblog.com) U.S. Customs and Border Protection is still processing claims, and the remaining unpaid balance is roughly $66 billion based on the $166 billion total and the $100 billion already refunded. That arithmetic is an inference from the court-filed totals reported by ABC News and NBC News. (nbcnews.com) August court proceedings, refund disputes involving brokers and importers, and separate lawsuits over the administration’s replacement tariffs are likely to determine who gets paid next and under what legal authority. The next public markers are expected to come through additional Court of International Trade filings, Customs refund updates, and the pending suits brought by importers and states. (nbcnews.com) (abcnews.com)