U.S. refunds $10 billion in voided Trump tariffs; trade war continues

[Financial News, New York = Lee Byung-chul] The Trump administration has refunded about $100 billion to importers so far in connection with the so-called Liberation Day tariffs, which were invalidated by a Supreme Court ruling. However, the administration is moving to rebuild essentially the same tariff regime under different legal grounds, suggesting that the legal battle over tariffs will continue.
According to documents filed on the 5th local time with the United States Court of International Trade, the U.S. government collected about $166 billion in tariffs imposed in 2025 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Of that amount, about 60%, or $100 billion, has already been refunded.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in late February that IEEPA did not grant the president authority to impose broad tariffs. About two weeks later, Judge Richard K. Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade ordered that tariffs collected under IEEPA be refunded to importers.
President Donald Trump has made tariffs a central tool of his economic and trade policy, but he has faced repeated setbacks in court. The administration has recently imposed new tariffs under other laws, effectively seeking to replace the existing IEEPA-based tariff regime.
Even so, the newly introduced tariff measures have also been hit with lawsuits in court, leaving the Trump administration exposed to ongoing judicial risk over its tariff policy.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) introduced CAPE, the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries system for tariff refunds, in late April. As of July 31, CAPE had received 252,496 refund claims covering more than 25 million import declarations.
The amount eligible for refunds, or already confirmed for refund, totals about $129 billion. Of that, about $100 billion has completed the refund process and been transferred to the Treasury Department, with actual payments now underway.
The data were disclosed during a class-action lawsuit filed by California-based importer Freestyle World. The company is pursuing the suit, arguing that small and medium-sized importers who paid IEEPA tariffs are facing difficulties in the CAPE refund process. The U.S. government, meanwhile, says the case does not meet the requirements for a class action.



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