Shaheen, Colleagues Unveil New Legislation Requiring Refunds of Trump’s Illegal Tariffs Following Landmark SCOTUS Ruling
**Bill instructs Trump Administration to prioritize small businesses; requires full refund of illegal Trump tariffs in 180 days**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, joined her Senate colleagues today in announcing the Tariff Refund Act – legislation that would require full refunds of President Trump’s illegal tariffs after they were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday by a 6-3 vote.
To date, the Trump Administration has collected more than $175 billion in illegal tariff revenue, raising taxes on products from nearly every country on earth and jacking up prices for American families. The Tariff Refund Act, co-led by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ed Markey (D-MA), will require the full refund, with interest, of those funds.
“President Trump’s reckless and chaotic tariffs have only caused uncertainty and pain – raising prices on consumers and businesses when they can least afford it,” said Senator Shaheen. “Now that the Supreme Court has made it clear that the President did not have the authority to unilaterally impose sweeping emergency tariffs, it’s critical that American families and small businesses get the relief they need. That starts by President Trump refunding the illegally collected tariff taxes that Americans were forced to pay.”
The Trump Administration previously recognized that it must refund, with interest, any duties determined to have been unlawfully collected. However, it is unclear what timeline, process or other guidelines the Administration would follow to provide refunds – and the lack of a clear, accessible process would necessarily advantage large importers with resources to dedicate to outside counsel and consultants.
The Tariff Refund Act would ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) complete the payment of refunds quickly and prioritizes the interests of small businesses in that process. Importantly, the bill would ensure that importers are not required to take costly administrative steps in order to receive a refund of the tariffs unlawfully collected by the Administration. The bill also directs CBP to coordinate with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide information and technical support. Finally, the bill’s reporting requirements would provide Congress, which has constitutional authority over trade and tariffs, with proper oversight over the refund payment process.
The legislation is cosponsored by: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Michael Bennet (D-CO).
Click HERE to view the bill text.
Senator Shaheen has led efforts in Congress to mitigate the harmful impacts of President Trump's tariffs. In January of last year, before President Trump took office, Shaheen introduced the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act to shield American businesses and consumers from rising prices imposed by tariffs on imported goods into the United States by clarifying that the President does not have the authority to levy sweeping tariffs under IEEPA – while preserving IEEPA’s authority for sanctions and other tools. Shaheen then led more than 30 of her Senate colleagues and 171 House colleagues made in a bipartisan Amicus Brief she filed with the Supreme Court last year.
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