Congressman George Latimer, who represents New York’s 16th Congressional District that includes parts of Westchester and the Bronx, led a group of 20 other members of the House in calling for the Trump administration to be prepared to help small businesses apply for and receive refunds of tariffs should the U.S. Supreme Court rule that Trump’s tariffs are illegal.
The Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in the government’s appeal of lower court decisions that decided Trump’s tariffs imposed via an April 2, 2025 Executive Order were illegal. Trump imposed the tariffs on his own using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act as his authority to do so. It normally is Congress that has the power to impose tariffs.
Latimer led 20 of his colleagues in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem expressing concern that the Departments of Treasury and Homeland Security aren’t prepared to handle what likely would be a deluge of claims for refunds if the Supreme Court upholds the lower courts.
The letter also calls on both departments to immediately dedicate sufficient resources and personnel ahead of the court’s decision, with a focus on aiding America’s small businesses. The letter calls on the departments to begin an outreach campaign so that small businesses will know what to do to file complaints about the tariffs they’ve paid in order to have the right to follow up with claims for refunds.
“There is a strong likelihood the court will uphold these prior decisions, and order that amounts imposed on American businesses be made available for return,” the letter said. “Those amounts are estimated by different sources anywhere between $120 billion and $1 trillion and growing every day while the court waits to issue a decision.”
The members of Congress said in the letter, “We urge that sufficient staffing and resources be allocated for the efficient intake, processing, hearing and determination of protests against tariffs imposed under the Executive Order and subsequently determined unlawful, with the aim of providing tariff refunds on an expedited basis to all eligible petitioners. We also ask that a wide-reaching informational campaign be quickly implemented by the departments targeted to American small businesses so that they may have all the resources available to enable them to navigate the complexity of the protest process without the disadvantage of lacking the resources of a large company.”
In a speech on the House floor, Latimer said, “President Trump’s tariff policies have hurt small business who often cannot absorb the cost of higher duties. Now the economy is showing warning signs: unemployment has risen to 4.6% and small businesses shed 120,000 jobs in November alone. Proper planning is needed around an information campaign for small businesses on how to navigate the tariff protest process, ensuring that eligible tariff refunds are provided on an expedited basis. Without a plan the complexity and time needed to pursue a refund will further burden small businesses. I urge the Trump administration to work quickly to guarantee that small businesses, the lifeline of our economy, are not left behind because of this erratic policy.”
