Trump Administration's Bid To Stall Tariff Refunds Rejected By Federal Court

A federal court on Monday denied the Trump administration's request to delay the refund of billions of dollars in tariffs.

Lawyers stated in a court filing, “Nothing about the refund issue warrants any delay in issuing this Court’s mandate, let alone a staggering three months’ delay,” adding, “the proper time to issue the mandate is now.”

The U.S. Court of International Trade is now authorized to begin the process of formulating relief for the small businesses that successfully contested President Donald Trump‘s global tariffs.

Neal Katyal, one of the lawyers representing the small businesses, said following the appeals court's decision that his team “will be proceeding immediately” to get the refunds that Americans are owed.

Tariff Refunds Face Delay Push

Last month, the Supreme Court invalidated $133 billion in tariffs, striking down many of the emergency-law tariffs imposed by Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The high court did not rule on the matter of refunds in its decision.

On Friday, the Trump administration asked the Federal Circuit to delay issuing its mandate for 90 days after the Supreme Court's ruling, saying it wanted time to consider options, while Justice Department lawyers warned the refund process could take years.

Trump, meanwhile, questioned whether the case could be reheard, but the DOJ did not signal any intention to request a review of the case by the Supreme Court.

Following the ruling, dozens of companies have hurried to court to seek reimbursement, adding to the hundreds that had already filed lawsuits ahead of the decision. After the ruling, FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to recover tariffs. In December, Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) sought a complete refund of all duties collected under the IEEPA through a lawsuit.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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