WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection will not be able to immediately begin issuing refunds for President Donald Trump’s tariffs that were struck down by the Supreme Court.
In a filing to court today, Brandon Lord, a senior official in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade office, says the department hopes to have a refund system in place in 45 days.
A judge with the U.S. Court of International Trade on Wednesday ordered refunds for companies that paid Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs and the fentanyl-related duties on Canada, Mexico and China.
That decision came after America’s top court last month concluded it was not legal for Trump to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, better known as IEEPA, for his sweeping and erratic tariff agenda.
Lord says his department counted 330,000 importers who made more than 53 million entries paying the now-illegal tariffs.
Lord says it amounts to around US$166 billion in refunds.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2026.
