Democrats demand refunds of billions in tariffs

After Supreme Court ruling, three senators call for repayment of duties and interest.

- BY JOSH BOAK

THE U.S. government collected an estimated $175 billion in tariffs. Above, a brewery in Wake Forest, N.C.

(ALLEN G. BREED Associated Press)

A trio of Senate Democrats is calling for the government to start refunding roughly $175 billion in tariff revenue that the Supreme Court ruled were collected because of an illegal set of orders by President Trump.

Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire planned to introduce a bill Monday that would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to issue refunds over the course of 180 days and pay interest on the refunded amount.

The measure would prioritize refunds to small businesses and encourage importers, wholesalers and large companies to pass the refunds on to their customers.

“Trump's illegal tax scheme has already done lasting damage to American families, small businesses and manufacturers who have been hammered by wave after wave of new Trump tariffs,” said Wyden, stressing that the “crucial first step” to fixing the problem begins with “putting money back in the pockets of small businesses and manufacturers as soon as possible.”