Maybe the tariffs won't last.
Several companies and states have challenged Trump’s use of an emergency law to impose some of his duties on individual countries, in a legal dispute that is likely to work its way up to the Supreme Court. As part of the case, companies have demanded the federal government pay them back for the tariff fees they’ve already paid out.
Trump’s own Justice Department has acknowledged in legal briefs filed with a U.S. Court of Appeals in recent months that if the tariffs are ruled unlawful, importers would be entitled to refunds, which Customs and Border Protection would likely process through standard administrative procedures.
That, trade and customs experts say, would be a logistical nightmare — both for the Trump administration and the companies seeking compensation. Perhaps more damaging for the president, it would also undercut one of the core arguments he’s made to justify his trade agenda: that his tariffs are bringing in unprecedented revenue that can help pay for his tax cuts and, one day, could replace the income tax altogether.
The scenario is already alarming some Trump allies who strongly support his tariff policies, but also are pessimistic that the duties the administration imposed under emergency law will survive the Supreme Court.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/06/how-trumps-150-billion-brag-could-backfire-00494882