Trump administration refunds nearly $100bn in tariffs struck down by US Supreme Court

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) disclosed in a court filing submitted to the US Court of International Trade on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, that it has refunded close to $100bn in tariffs collected from US importers, more than three quarters of $128.68bn in refunds certified as owed. According to Al Jazeera, which reported the filing on Thursday, August 6, 2026, the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in February 2026 that the Trump administration exceeded its legal authority by invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad "reciprocal" tariffs on more than 90 countries and fentanyl-related duties on Canada, Mexico and China. Total tariffs collected from US importers before the ruling stood at about $166bn. Brandon Lord, CBP's executive director for trade policy and programs, said in the filing that the agency's financial accounting system regularly receives and disperses certified refunds. The ruling left intact sector-specific tariffs on goods such as steel, automobiles and copper, imposed under the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, and the administration has since rolled out new tariffs, including 10 to 12.5 percent levies announced last month on dozens of countries over forced labor concerns, which 25 US states challenged in a lawsuit filed Monday, August 3.