US tariffs that are at risk of court-ordered refunds exceed $133.5 billion

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

January 6, 2026 4:20 PM EST Updated 11 hours ago


Jan 6 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration faces the possibility of having to refund more than $133.5 billion in tariffs to importers if the U.S. Supreme Court declares unlawful the duties he has imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

That is the total assessed through December 14, when the agency issued its most recent statistical update on imports since the Republican president first imposed tariffs last February under the 1977 economic sanctions law meant to be used only during national emergencies.

The court, which in November heard arguments concerning the legality of Trump's IEEPA-based tariffs, is set to issue rulings in cases on Friday, but has not disclosed which ones. Online betting markets Kalshi and Polymarket give Trump a 30% and 23% chance of prevailing, respectively, versus around 40% on each platform prior to the arguments, when the justices signaled skepticism toward the tariffs. It is also unclear whether the court would order refunds if it deems the duties illegal or leave that issue to lower courts or to the federal government to sort out.

Trump falsely claimed in a social media post on Monday that the United States has collected or would soon collect $600 billion in tariffs. Total net customs duties reached a record $195 billion in fiscal 2025, which ended September 30, and monthly receipts have been in the low $30 billion range since then, according to U.S. Treasury data.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-tariffs-that-are-risk-court-ordered-refunds-exceed-1335-billion-2026-01-06/

[markodochartaigh]

1. I'm guessing this means we won't get those $2,000 checks.

[Bengus81]

8. Yeah...but you still have the DOGE refund check coming any day now

[SergeStorms]

11. Immediately following.....

Trump unveiling his low-cost healthcare plan. 😉 Any day now, right?

[Buddyzbuddy]

2. Uh oh, I see a go fund me account in somebody's future.

[IdiotsforPalin]

3. Did the orange pustulist claims

Murderer we had trillions and trillions of dollars from tariffs….. where’s my fucking check

[no_hypocrisy]

4. A couple of things:

1. Trump was/is delusional that giving those massive tax breaks would allow him to keep tariff revenues.

2. Companies/Importers can't keep those refunds. Generally, they didn't lose money on the tariffs as they passed along the expenses to their customers, unless they ate the costs.

3. How to calculate what we, the customers, had to pay since January, 2025?

[Bohunk68]

6. I know just how much extra I have paid out.

I like brewing my coffee from fresh ground dark roast beans. Had been getting it in 2# bags from SF Bay coffee. 3 bags every 3 months. In April, my cost was $59.37. In July, it went to $75.57 and in Nov and Jan it was $83.67. therefore, I have already paid $64.80 in tariffs, aka taxes. Enough for another 6# is it were still at the old pricing. Not wealthy at all. Barely surviving on $1502 SS per month. thanks be, the house got paid off when my love died. 3 maybe 4 years ago, I got Survivor benefits when a case came up of 2 women, one of whom died before they could have been married. It was the same parameters as what happened with us. She won. I was notified by our local Dem County Chair the same day. 3 months later, I had it, plus back pay from 2006 when he died of pancreatic cancer. We had been together for 27 years. It has been 20 years soon, and I miss him terribly. Now, I am concerned that Putinfluffer is going to screw all of us out of it with the cooperation of SCOTUS.

[C Moon]

5. He screws up everything. I feel sorry for Venezuela, and anyone else he's put his sleazy hands into.

[Javaman]

7. the supreme fools will rule that the tariffs are illegal but the orange asshole

won't have to pay anyone back. "too complicated"

[twodogsbarking]

9. Trump giving money back?

[lostincalifornia]

10. I think that anyone who thinks that THIS supreme court will rule against trump, is deluding themselves based on the

history and makeup of the court.

It would be quite surprising if they actually ruled that Tariffs were under the umbrella of Congress, keeping in mind their past ruling on issues that encompassed the theory of unitary executive privilege.

[Katcat]

12. Ha ha

Trump isn’t going to voluntarily give money back to anyone. Like everything else trump, it will be in the mil in a couple weeks.