The Executive of the United States has already processed the return of around 100 billion dollars (86.816 billion euros) linked to the tariffs announced in April 2025 by Donald Trump during the "Liberation Day." These levies were adopted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), although the Supreme Court of the US declared them illegal last February.
In an appearance before the US International Trade Court, the executive director of the Trade Programs Directorate of the Office of Trade of the Customs and Border Protection Office, Brandon Lord, detailed that, as of July 31, applications for about 128.680 billion dollars (111.715 billion euros) had been approved. From that figure, nearly 100 billion dollars had already been refunded, including both the return of the collected tariffs and the accrued interest.
According to official estimates, the US Administration improperly collected around 166 billion dollars (144.115 billion euros) through the additional tariffs announced by Donald Trump on April 2, 2025, on the so-called "Liberation Day." The US Supreme Court deemed them illegal on February 20, 2026, concluding that the president had exceeded his powers by resorting to the IEEPA to impose these surcharges.
Following the ruling of the High Court, the Customs and Border Protection Office of the United States launched on April 20 the first phase of an electronic platform aimed at managing refund requests for the invalidated tariffs.
Despite the judicial setback to one of its most emblematic trade measures, the Trump Administration has attempted to articulate new ways to continue using foreign trade as a tool of pressure in the international arena.
Thus, at the end of July, Washington announced the introduction of tariffs on 60 countries, presenting the decision as a sanction against those economies that had not banned products made with forced labor. This new tariff structure replaces the global 10% levy that had been temporarily applied for 150 days following the Supreme Court ruling.
In practice, goods from countries with laws considered adequate against forced labor will face a reduced rate of 10%, while products originating from states with insufficient prohibitions will be taxed at the higher rate of 12.5%.