Bessent: US would have to give back half of tariffs if it loses at Supreme Court
Source: The Hill
09/07/25 6:08 PM ET
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States would have to refund half of the tariffs if has collected if it loses its case on President Trumps trade agenda at the Supreme Court.
Bessent said he feels confident the Trump administration will win the fight to rescue President Trumps tariffs, but acknowledged it will be costly if there is a loss in the conservative-leaning High Court.
During an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press, Bessent was asked by host Kristen Welker whether the administration was prepared to offer rebates on the tariffs if the Supreme Court ruled against them. I am confident that we will win at the Supreme Court, he said.
Pushed as to whether the administration would be prepared to offer rebates, Bessent said the U.S. would have to give a refund on about half the tariffs, adding that it would be terrible for the Treasury. Theres no be prepared,' he said. If the court says it, wed have to do it.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5490721-trump-tariffs-supreme-court/

Old Crank
(6,265 posts)Why half?
Every person who had to pay needs to be made whole with interest.
BumRushDaShow
(160,871 posts)they already grifted the rest for themselves.
thesquanderer
(12,787 posts)So that could justify saying they'd have to give back about half of what they've collected, i.e. the amount of the increase over what would have been paid anyway.
Walleye
(42,643 posts)Its called give me all the money and then well talk about who it belongs to
2naSalit
(97,908 posts)You stupid fuckhead, you'll have to give back ALL OF IT plus interest. What a crock of stinky shit.
Irish_Dem
(75,501 posts)joshdawg
(2,870 posts)rubbersole
(10,617 posts)From the Leonard Leo Lickspittle Ledger.
Irish_Dem
(75,501 posts)They are being humiliated and pilloried on a daily basis
because many of us see them as traitors who sold out democracy and
responsible for the deaths and injury to Americans.
The only thing that keeps up the SC justices' spirits is cash.
groundloop
(13,313 posts)I'm pretty certain that consumers who ultimately paid these tariffs will be left out.
thesquanderer
(12,787 posts)Only the importer would have the ability to know how much was passed along to their customers, on which purchases. They would be in a position to at least theoretically provide refunds, but I doubt there's any realistic way to compel them to do so. Moreover, the importer likely did not sell directly to the final consumer, so there could be one ore more additional links in the chain that could have marked up the cost accordingly before reaching the consumer. So yeah... it's a mess, and the consumer is the likely loser.
Marthe48
(21,937 posts)for the same length of time the illegal tariffs were in effect. Revoke all of the cuts. Restore peoples' jobs and health coverage. Kick traitor felon and his accomplices out of power.
I can dream.
Woke! Socialism! Drop...Revoke...Restore...Kick out...😂
Somebody check her family tree's immigration status going back to the Mayflower landing. Dreaming is no longer allowed. By Executive Order from Dear Leader.
Marthe48
(21,937 posts)Not just words here.
rubbersole
(10,617 posts)Marthe48
(21,937 posts)Maybe a touch edgy.
Lovie777
(20,489 posts)and the corporations who might be reimbursed will they hire back or hire again, or will they enrich themselves again.
The greed is well over the top.
thesquanderer
(12,787 posts)a member of this administration.
BumRushDaShow
(160,871 posts)
But they are also perpetual liars... so...

travelingthrulife
(3,360 posts)cstanleytech
(27,953 posts)We already paid higher prices for products to big business to nullify it for them and now they get even more money via a 'return' and that's taxpayer money.
Plus there's zero chance companies will now reduce prices after the Terrible Tariff Tax is gone.
So good? Not really 😞
cstanleytech
(27,953 posts)Money that is taxpayer money.
republianmushroom
(21,487 posts)Should not of been enacted in the first place, being illegal. Start following the laws of the land and you will not have to give things back.
Rebl2
(17,018 posts)they do lose, but thats doubtful with this Supreme Court.
ProudMNDemocrat
(20,264 posts)I know I am going to be spending more money on the things I need, however, like a new pair of running/walking shoes.
sop
(16,213 posts)'Trumps Commerce Secretary Loves Tariffs. His Former Investment Bank Is Taking Bets Against Them'
"CANTOR FITZGERALD, A financial services company led by the sons of US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, is creating a way for investors to bet that President Donald Trumps signature tariffs will be struck down in court. Traders at the firms investment banking subsidiary, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., say they have the capacity to buy the rights to hundreds of millions of dollars in potential refunds from companies who have paid Trumps tariffs, according to documents viewed by WIRED."
"Lutnick ran Cantor Fitzgerald for nearly 30 years until he was confirmed by the Senate in February, when he turned over control of the firm to his sons, Kyle and Brandon, who are both in their twenties. Since joining the Trump administration, Lutnick has emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of the presidents tariff policies, which Lutnick has said would raise 'hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars' in revenue for the United States, eventually eliminating the need for Americans making less than $150,000 to pay taxes."
"But the investment bank that made Lutnick a billionaire is now letting certain clients wager that Trumps tariffs will eventually be ruled unlawful, at which point companies that have paid the import duties can apply to get their money back."
"In a letter seen by WIRED, a representative from Cantor said the firm was willing to trade tariff refund rights for 20 to 30 percent of what companies have paid in duties. 'So for a company that paid $10 million, they could expect to receive $2-$3 million in a trade,' the representative wrote. 'We have the capacity to trade up to several hundred million of these presently and can likely upsize that in the future to meet potential demand.' "
"Cantor has already landed at least one major deal, according to the letter viewed by WIRED. 'Weve already put a trade through representing about ~$10 million of IEEPA Rights and anticipate that number will balloon in the coming weeks,' the Cantor representative claimed."
"Experts say the deals are a form of litigation finance, an increasingly popular category of investing in which financial firms seek to make money from potential legal settlements. Many lawsuits can take years to resolve, and the structure can allow individuals and companies to get money upfront or their lawyer fees covered. The catch is that investors may only pay a fraction of what plaintiffs could eventually receive, and profit by pocketing the difference."
Continued at link:
https://www.wired.com/story/cantor-fitzgerald-trump-tariff-refunds/
Figarosmom
(8,781 posts)ALL. All of them for the amount of the increase over what the original tariffs were.