Dear U.S.A. Government, Please Return the $160 Billion ASAP

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The government must return about $160 billion, plus interest, collected from duties deemed illegal and potentially more if it loses a related tariff case.

The money is reserved largely for businesses that imported goods, not for American families, though both have faced rising costs as a result of Mr. Trump’s trade war. 

The refund process comes at a difficult political moment for Mr. Trump, who arrived in China on Wednesday, 5/13/26, for high-stakes trade talks. Just last week, a panel of federal judges found that the president broke the law when he replaced his illegal duties with a 10 percent tax on nearly all imports.

Customs officials indicated in a court filing on Tuesday that they had taken steps toward sending billions of dollars in additional, approved refunds to the Treasury Department for payment. The Trump administration has said it is still working to expand its system for processing refund requests.

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