https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/07/trump-trade-supreme-court-refunds-bessent.html
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that he is “confident” that President Donald Trump’s tariff plan “will win” at the Supreme Court, but warned his agency would be forced to issue massive refunds if the high court rules against it.
If the tariffs are struck down, he said, “we would have to give a refund on about half the tariffs, which would be terrible for the Treasury,” according to an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
He added, however, that “if the court says it, we’d have to do it.”
The Trump administration last week asked the Supreme Court for an “expedited ruling” to overturn an appeals court decision that found most of his tariffs on imports from other countries are illegal.
Generally, the Supreme Court could take as long as early next summer to issue a decision on the legality of Trump’s tariffs.
Bessent has said that “delaying a ruling until June 2026 could result in a scenario in which $750 billion-$1 trillion in tariffs have already been collected, and unwinding them could cause significant disruption.”
The prospect of the government having to refund tariffs of that magnitude could mean an unprecedented windfall to the businesses and entities that paid them.
Not sure how likely this is with SCOTUS but the last time Bessent "warned" what would happen if their tariffs were voided they lost in the appeals court decision.
So this could be another signal that they aren't confident in the legality of about half of these tariffs implemented so far (regardless of him saying he's confident)
I'm curious about what companies will be the biggest winners if they are forced to give tariff refunds. I believe the Section 232 tariffs implemented so far will stay in effect, since the appeals court ruling covers tariffs under IEEPA. So this would mainly impact the retaliatory tariffs levied against every country
Treasury Secretary Bessent warns of massive refunds if the Supreme Court voids Trump tariffs
byu/Fidler_2K instocks
Posted by Fidler_2K
27 Comments
Bullish! Free money for companies, it’s not like they’ll pass on those refunds.
And the refunds will be passed onto the customers who actually paid the tariffs, right? And prices will drop because they no longer need to account for tariffs in their prices, right?
Right?
Massive refunds…to the countries that pay the tariffs? Hmmm
I love how Lutnick’s fund Cantor Fitzgerald is going to make a shit ton of money if the tariffs are rolled back. Win-win for his cronies either way.
Bond market is going to be wild if they have to pay these back. The problem is now we are well beyond the point of a clean rollback of tariffs. Damage is going to be done either way now.
So if you don’t rule in my favor, I am broke and won’t pay.
-collections court defendants & US Treasury
Most people have to pay restitution when they’ve been convicted of theft
International trade contracts typically last far more than a presidency. To simply just reneg on them at a whim and throw on tariffs (aka extra costs) is obviously illegal. It’s basically a bait and switch with no contractual protection.
It makes no sense and harpoons any integrity left of this country.
If this was the plan all along I’m going to be livid
We get fucked again. They should make Frump pay them back because he broke the law and stole our money. Fuck him
Socialize healthcare and then tell the Supreme Court it’s hard to unwind
I understand the playbook now. Act without legislation and the Supreme Court will forgive you
That’s what happens when a president oversteps his bounds. With control of Congress pass fucking laws
Sadly as we speak new tariffs being considered to replace that being refunded which means possibly more refunds and companies going broke along the way. Refunds don’t undue bankruptcies
In other news. Market rally on because Fed rate cuts improved due to labor softening. What a shit show therefore might as well profit from it
“Warns he will ‘Punch every justice in the fucking face’ if he doesn’t get his way”
What a shit show.
That’s what happens when you do illegal things
Who cares what Bessent “fears”. He’s void of admitting truth and facts. What matters is that if the tariffs get voided by the supreme court then Trump doesn’t have much left to pressure other countries. And that’s a good thing.
So the refunds go back to companies who will then do the right thing and refund their customers…. right? RIGHT?
Let’s be real, us customers lose either way.
Admitting this severely damages their case that’s heading to the supreme court.
The law states that any tariffs that could have serious economic consequences must be approved by congress. Their tariff war is so far reaching and hamfisted that declaring those tariffs illegal could crash the economy? Yeah, they definitely needed to be approved by congress and doing them through executive action was illegal.
It was congress’ responsibility to step up and make sure these tariffs went through the legal process but they were too scared of Trump. Thanks to congress’ inaction, the federal government may have to pay half a trillion dollars in refunds. A MASSIVE unplanned expenditure.
Also, the law says refunds like this need to be paid back with interest so it would be even more.
Refunds to who? Have them explain. Dumbasses
The American consumer pays tariffs
Tariffs rules illegal
Companies get refunds
Americans keep higher than prices forever
Are we winning yet
I do deserve a refund, Mr Bessent.
Massive refunds of money they should never have taken in the first place. Where do they find these psychos anyway?
Bessent just realized there were laws that he might need to check
Maybe don’t make up bullshit “national emergencies” then?
As if the Roberts’ court won’t side with emperor
Pedophile.
Let that be a lesson to stop bypassing the fully elected Congress. Fukking around costs the taxpayer real money.