WASHINGTON (LN) — The Trump administration is of issuing more than $35.5 billion to importers who successfully filed for tariff refunds after the U.S. Supreme Court found the president’s signature economic policy unlawful, according to a Tuesday filing reported by Bloomberg.
The payments are being processed through a new online government portal and will include interest on duties paid, the administration stated. Bloomberg reported that payments for some of the first refund requests started reaching importers early last week.
The administration noted that up to $166 billion could eventually be refunded as the process continues.
The refund process follows a separate legal battle over the global 10-percent tariffs that Trump imposed in February, shortly after the Supreme Court struck down many of his global tariffs.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit temporarily paused a ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade declaring the global 10-percent tariffs illegal. The pause grants the government a request to suspend the decision pending appeal.
In its motion for a stay, the Trump administration argued that the Court of International Trade’s decision should be stayed pending the full run of government appeals, up to the Supreme Court, if necessary.
The administration argued that if it issued refunds on the 10-percent global tariff, only to have an appeals court uphold its position, it would be unable to pursue economic redress.
The Federal Circuit granted an administrative stay that will be in place while the court considers the motions for a stay pending appeal.