Senator Elizabeth Warren sent letters Friday to seven major U.S. companies demanding information about tariff refunds they are receiving after the Supreme Court struck down import duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, wrote to Apple, Amazon, Energizer, Motorola, Nike, Target, and Walmart. In February, the Supreme Court ruled the IEEPA tariffs were invalid because President Trump lacked the authority to impose them. The U.S. government has since refunded more than $100 billion to businesses, representing about 60 percent of what it owes importers, according to a court filing this week, CBS News reported.
Warren's letters ask each company to disclose how much they paid in IEEPA tariffs, how much they have received or expect to receive in refunds, and how they plan to spend that money. She also urged the companies to pass refunds directly to consumers.
"Importers pushed the costs of tariffs onto American consumers and small businesses — with estimates showing that American families will have ended up paying 95% of the tariffs," she wrote, citing data from the Congressional Budget Office.
Apple received a $2.2 billion tariff refund, according to its third-quarter earnings report. Warren noted in her letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook that the company raised prices on its iPhone and MacBook products this year.
"You have received an astronomical cash infusion in the form of a tariff refund, and Apple customers who paid increased prices for your products, ostensibly due to tariffs, deserve to know how that money will be spent," Warren said.
Amazon has said it received $600 million in refunds for the levies.
A trade compliance expert said the structure of tariff refunds makes it unlikely consumers will see money returned to them. Nick Baker, co-lead of trade and customs at risk advisory firm Kroll, said refunds go only to the importer that paid them.
"So if and when there is a refund, it might not get to the person who paid it," he said. "Which is the gripe of a lot of consumers. They have seen prices fluctuate and go up, with some retailers saying it's in part due to tariffs."
Warren also wrote that customers "paid higher prices for your products while the tariffs were in place." None of the companies contacted by Warren immediately responded to a request for comment.
A wave of class-action lawsuits from consumers seeking refunds from corporations has begun to emerge alongside Warren's congressional pressure.
