They Introduce a Bill Giving the Administration 180 Days to Complete Refunds, Prioritizing Small Businesses
Some twenty Democratic senators joined together on Monday in the United States to introduce a bill ordering the Trump Administration to proceed within 180 days with the “full repayment, with interest, of the illegal tariffs,” amounting to more than €148 million, after the Supreme Court ruled last Friday against the legality of the levies imposed by the White House occupant.
The ranking members of the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden; Small Business Secretary Edward Markey and Foreign Affairs Secretary Jeanne Shaheen have introduced a bill that “demands the full repayment of Trump’s illegal tariffs, after they were struck down by the Supreme Court on Friday by a 6-3 vote,” according to a statement released by the Finance Committee.
The proposal, which has garnered support from 19 other Democrats in the Senate—including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer—estimates that, to date, “the Trump Administration has collected approximately $175 billion (about €148.37 billion) in revenue from illegal tariffs, raising taxes on products from nearly every country in the world and increasing prices for American families.” “The Tariff Refund Act of 2026 would require the full repayment, with interest, of those funds,” it states.
Specifically, Senators Wyden, Markey, and Shaheen have focused their advocacy on families and small businesses, which the government should “prioritize” and “return the money as soon as possible,” according to their statements included in the press release. “It’s working-class and middle-class families who paid Trump’s tariffs, and we must ensure they get their money back, not large corporations,” Senator Markey stated.
They explained that the proposed legislation would not only give small businesses priority in receiving refunds for tariffs paid, but also ensure that “importers don’t have to go through costly administrative procedures to receive” the corresponding amount.
These payments would be managed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which would have “180 days” after the bill’s enactment to complete all refunds. The proposal also “requires CBP to pay interest on the refunded amount” and orders it “to prioritize small businesses.” Furthermore, if the law is passed, the customs agency will be required to “report to the relevant congressional committees every 30 days.”
These Democratic senators’ proposal comes after the Supreme Court’s ruling last Friday that struck down the global tariffs imposed by Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), arguing that this law does not grant the president the authority to impose so-called reciprocal tariffs.
Trump himself stated in mid-January that if the court ruled against the tariffs, it would be “a complete disaster” that would force the country to repay billions of dollars.
