# Trump Tariffs Struck Down **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 29, 2025, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927 "2025-05-29T00:26:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/281 "2026-03-07T17:28:06Z")
Hopefully that was a woosh. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/282 "2026-03-07T17:50:14Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Until a judge finds some individual in contempt and jails them, they will continue to thumb their collective nose at the judiciary. Even then, what is to stop Trump from pardoning them? I’m not a lawyer and could be wrong, but I don’t think contempt orders can be pardoned. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/283 "2026-03-07T18:24:19Z")
Guilty… ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/284 "2026-03-08T03:07:34Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > When the tariffs were imposed, some of the companies affected petitioned the court - requesting a stay on tariff collection until the court had ruled on the legality. The administration fought this, and one of their key points was that if the tariffs were found to be illegal, the government would give everyone their money back, no problem, it would be easy. Apparently not easy until a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spends a bunch of money upgrading their system. They should have stayed the tariffs. There is way to unwind the impact of 166B in tariffs inserted at the beginning of the supply chain. Everything downstream is affected: loans taken, goods returned or delayed, credit card transactions, service fees. What a joke. > [@](#): > > CBP, [in a court filing](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cit.19346/gov.uscourts.cit.19346.31.0_1.pdf), cited its existing technology, processes and manpower requirements as the reasons it could not immediately comply with the conditions of Judge Richard Eaton’s order on the so-called [IEEPA tariffs](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/04/bessent-says-global-15percent-tariff-starts-this-week-move-back-to-prior-rates-within-5-months.html). The [Supreme Court recently ruled those duties are illegal](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/20/supreme-court-trump-tariffs-ruling.html). > > But CBP also suggested in the new filing that it could begin issuing refunds by late April after revamping its technology. > **[Trump tariffs: Customs and Border Protection tells judge it can't comply with...](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/06/trump-trade-tariffs-refunds-customs-border-protection.html)** > > CBP told Judge Richard Eaton that the technology upgrades it plans would save more than 4 million man-hours in processing refunds for Trump's tariffs. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/285 "2026-03-08T13:27:29Z")
I’m well aware China doesn’t pay the tariffs. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/286 "2026-03-13T19:25:31Z")
CostCo says any tariff refunds they receive will be passed on to their members. [https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2026/03/13/costco-tariff-refunds-members.html](https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2026/03/13/costco-tariff-refunds-members.html) ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/287 "2026-03-13T20:47:33Z")
Re last Smapti post, that is behind a paywall for me. Googling, I see that this out today, but cannot vouch for the web site being reliable: [Costco Says Any Tariff Refunds Will Go Back to Customers Through Lower Prices](https://www.yoursourceone.com/columbia_basin/costco-says-any-tariff-refunds-will-go-back-to-customers-through-lower-prices/article_f7729ce5-04ce-4325-bf50-d81d3d0d886f.html) I also see this, posted yesterday on another possibly sketchy web site, but it also seems plausible: [Costco sued by customer seeking refunds for tariff payments](https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/costco-sued-customer-seeking-refunds-tariff-payments) I doubt it is practical for someplace like Costco to refund the tariffs in a fair way. It partly depends on how their databases are set up. It must be possible to link individual purchasers with all the products they bought. Can they then link all those to import content, and tariff, of each item? Maybe, to an extent. But there would be edge cases, such as when the credit card used to make the purchase is expired, or the customer was not a member, or the customer is deceased, or, well, a lot of other situations that might not be easy for an outsider to imagine. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/288 "2026-03-14T03:57:29Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > It must be possible to link individual purchasers with all the products they bought. Can they then link all those to import content, and tariff, of each item? I doubt it. The tariffs were changing day-by-day. The same product in different containers could have had different tariff rates. Different stores would receive from different containers. The same item on a shelf could have had different tariffs. You could average it or some other aggregation, but it doesn’t seem worth it. Just divide the tariff refund across customers by total purchases made and let them click through to get a refund. ‘Refunding’ by lower prices is a good way to get a class action suit. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/289 "2026-04-23T01:44:39Z")
The tariff refund portal is open now. US has to pay back all those big, beautiful tariffs to the corporations that paid them and of course, passed them along to consumers. Fox News did report on it (only one article that I can tell), but the comments are good. “I thought the other countries were paying these” “Prices went up and we paid for it, but the corporations get the refund?” With “Trump did that!” sub-comments “where is my tariff rebate check” “Trump said he was bringing in trillions…where is it?” And plenty more. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. > **[After Supreme Court blow, Trump admin launches $166B tariff refund portal](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-blow-trump-admin-launches-166b-tariff-refund-portal)** > > The Trump administration launched a new system to refund $166 billion in tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down the levies as unlawful this year. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/290 "2026-04-23T02:40:33Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > The tariff refund portal is open now. But, but the Supreme court always rules for trump?!? Obviously not. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/291 "2026-04-23T04:02:10Z")
Too bad the SC can’t stop all the other shit he is doing. Trump is bulldozing the US and the world all while lining his pockets. Glad they got a win on this one thing. But, but even with the tariffs being paid back, we are not going to see a dime of it. It’s going to the corporations that paid the tariffs, raised their prices, and will now profit from the refunds. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/292 "2026-04-23T04:14:06Z")
Another cool thing about the paybacks is putting the lie to the myth that tariffs are paid by the countries being tariffed, not by Americans. I wonder how Trumpists will struggle to explain this particular accounting mystery, where it’s obviously been American companies and downstream consumers paying the higher rates! ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/293 "2026-04-23T05:12:58Z")
I got into a pissing contest on Reddit about this. Our little company paid a bunch of tariffs, and naturally passed the price increase to our customer. But - I’m sure THEY passed all of their tariff charges to _their_ customers, and so on all the way down the line. So - if we apply for a refund, should we expect to hand that over to our customer? Because, unless they do the same thing, I’ll be damned if we are going to give them any money (they are a pain in the ass). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/294 "2026-04-23T05:27:27Z")
We paid the tariffs out of our marketing budget. Any refunds will go back in there. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/295 "2026-04-23T05:39:05Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Another cool thing about the paybacks is putting the lie to the myth that tariffs are paid by the countries being tariffed, not by Americans. The Trump supporters I know are fully aware of who pays tariffs. When I ask them if Trump was lying about China paying them or if he is simply ignorant they tend to keep their opinions to themselves. It’s like their minds shut down and they refuse to engage in reality. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/296 "2026-04-23T12:05:01Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > US has to pay back all those big, beautiful tariffs to the corporations that paid them and of course, passed them along to consumers Are the importers under any legal obligation to refund their refund to the customers it was passed on to? Quite a few of my vendors had a tariff surcharge on their bills but _every single one of them_ within a month or two removed that line item and increased the cost of the items (or other surcharges) to cover it. While I knew that was partly because it’s easier to tell customers that ‘prices went up’ than to get into a political argument with them, at the time I also assumed it was so that when the tariffs were removed, that extra money would just be extra profit for them. Same thing happens when gas spikes and they add a fuel surcharge, it’s rare for the fuel surcharge to get lowered or removed when fuel prices come back down. I hadn’t considered them getting what they paid refunded back to them as another reason for burying that surcharge. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/297 "2026-04-23T12:39:19Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > tariff surcharge on their bills but _every single one of them_ within a month or two removed that line item and increased the cost of the items (or other surcharges) to cover it. In a just world, which this clearly is not, bullshit “bookkeeping” like that would be a criminal offense. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/298 "2026-04-23T14:26:51Z")
One of my coffee vendors added a 10% "Tariff Surcharge, across the board. Even on the assumption that it averages out to properly reflect the tariffs they’ve incurred, it bothered me, and I called them about it, that they were charging this tariff surcharge on items that said right on the box “MADE IN THE USA”. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/299 "2026-04-23T14:32:39Z")
The last surcharge I actually saw go away was when the price of eggs spiked a local chain added it as a separate line item to everything with eggs (mostly just breakfast burritos). Egg prices went down, surcharge went away, my breakfast was a dollar cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/300 "2026-04-23T14:35:56Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > they were charging this tariff surcharge on items that said right on the box “MADE IN THE USA”. In our case, what’s in the box, is made in the USA, but the box itself comes from China. Most packaging does. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927.md?page=16)