The US government is sitting on roughly $149 billion in tariff revenue it may have to give back. President Trump confirmed the likely refunds after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that his broad tariff regime exceeded presidential authority, a decision that effectively declared much of the collected revenue illegal.
What the Supreme Court actually decided
The ruling, handed down in February 2026, found that Trump overstepped his constitutional authority when imposing sweeping tariffs on imports. The 6-3 vote was decisive, not a razor-thin margin that could be easily re-litigated in the court of public opinion.
The practical consequence: the federal government now has a legal obligation to reimburse businesses that paid tariffs later deemed unlawful. Estimates of the total illegal tariff revenue collected prior to the ruling run as high as $175 billion, though the refund figure Trump referenced sits at $149 billion.
US Customs and Border Protection is expected to begin processing the first refunds around May 11, 2026.
