House Democrats Demand 90-Day Tariff Refund After SCOTUS Limits Trump

Feb 20, 2026

Trump says US Supreme Court tariff ruling leaves him 'more powerful' | AFP

House Democrats are moving to force the Trump administration to return tariff revenue after a Supreme Court ruling curtailed the president’s emergency trade authority.

Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada and Rep. Janelle Bynum of Oregon introduced the “RELIEF Act,” legislation requiring automatic refunds of tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, according to a release from Horsford’s office.

The bill would direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to refund all duties collected on or after January 1, 2025, within 90 days of enactment.

Importers would not be required to file applications or protests to receive repayment, according to the bill summary.

The proposal follows a Supreme Court decision that limited President Donald Trump’s ability to impose certain tariffs under IEEPA, escalating questions about the legal status of past collections.

“When the government takes money without proper authority, it doesn’t get to keep it,” Horsford said in a statement.

Bloomberg Law reported the Court did not address whether refunds must be issued, leaving Congress and lower courts to determine how disputed revenue should be handled.

Reporting from Bloomberg estimates that as much as $170 billion in tariff collections could be implicated, depending on the scope of the ruling.

If enacted, the measure would require Customs to reopen and reliquidate affected entries, a process that could carry significant fiscal and administrative consequences.

The bill has not yet been assigned a House number and has not received a committee vote.

Its path forward will likely depend on whether Republican lawmakers support refunding tariff revenue collected under emergency authority.

The legal and political fight over executive tariff powers is expected to continue as Congress weighs next steps.

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