Trump refunds $100bn in tariffs

The Trump administration has now returned about $100 billion in tariff money collected under President Donald Trump’s 2025 “liberation day” duties, according to an August 5 court filing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The refunds follow a February 20, 2026 Supreme Court ruling holding that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not authorize those tariffs. (nbcnews.com) The filing says the government has paid back a little more than half of the roughly $166 billion at issue. The money is going to importers of record — the companies that paid Customs at the border — not directly to shoppers who later paid higher retail prices. (cnbc.com) ### Who is actually getting the money back? (thompsonhinesmartrade.com) U.S. Customs is refunding the duties to importers because they were the legal payers of the tariffs when goods entered the country. That means the checks are going to businesses that filed entries and paid the levies, ranging from large multinationals to small importers. CNN reported that Apple received an estimated $2.2 billion refund in the most recent quarter, while Amazon got about $600 million and Nike about $300 million. ABC News separately reported that companies from Amazon to smaller businesses have said the funds have already reached their accounts. (nbcnews.com) ### Why are consumers not getting checks? Tariffs are collected at the border from importers, not from households at the cash register. Retailers and brands can pass some or all of that cost through in higher prices, but the legal refund still goes to the company that paid Customs. (nbcnews.com) CNN said that distinction explains why consumers who absorbed higher prices are unlikely to see direct repayments. The Court of International Trade case concerns who remitted the tariff to the government, not who ultimately bore the cost in the marketplace. (abc17news.com) ### What did the courts strike down? The Supreme Court ruled on February 20, 2026 in *Learning Resources v. Trump* that IEEPA did not give the president authority to impose the sweeping tariffs challenged in the case. After that decision, the Court of International Trade moved to set up a refund process for duties already collected. (abc17news.com) The Court of International Trade later ordered nationwide refunds and required Customs to build a system to process claims and provide status updates. Legal analyses from Holland & Knight and Jones Walker said the order covered IEEPA tariff payments to importers of record, though the scope and timing can differ depending on entry status and litigation posture. (abc17news.com) ### How much has been paid, and how much is still left? The August 5 filing says about $100 billion has been refunded out of roughly $166 billion collected, putting the government near 60% of the total. CNBC and ABC News both reported that the milestone was reached through the end of July. (hklaw.com) Reuters, carried by NBC News and U.S. News, reported the same $100 billion figure from the court filing. Separate reporting said more than $128 billion had entered the refund pipeline, indicating additional payments are still being processed. ### What happens next in the case? (hklaw.com) The Justice Department has appealed the refund order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, according to trade-law updates published in June. Those updates said the administration was seeking to narrow or stay parts of the order even as Customs continued building and using its refund system. (cnbc.com) June 2, 2026 is the date Holland & Knight and Thompson Hine said the formal appeal was filed. Customs is still submitting status reports to the Court of International Trade, and additional refunds are expected as the litigation continues. (thompsonhinesmartrade.com) (nbcnews.com)