U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens is asking the Trump administration to address backlogs in businesses' requests for refunds of import tariffs they paid on levies which were later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
In February 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to enact sweeping import tariffs worldwideran afoul of the law, clearing the way for businesses which had paid billions to request refunds.
In some cases, Trump has moved to impose the tariffs through different laws. For instance, the administration is waging a trade war with Canada through statutes that allow the imposition of tariffs if there is unfair discrimination in the costs of cross-border trade, such
as Trump has alleged.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been processing more than $100 billion in claims for refunds from the IEEPA tariffs put in place shortly after Trump reentered office in 2025 through an online system. But at least one report in July indicated more than half still hadn't been processed and repaid.
On Sept. 9, Stevens, D-Birmingham, and U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nevada, led members of Congress in sending a letter to CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott urging him to address administrative backlogs in processing claims. They said CBP has a 90-day deadline from the time it settles a final computation of tariffs owed by a business to file for refunds but that in some casesCBP hasn't approved the accounts businesses need to set upto create an online account through CBP's refund system and request repayment.
“Sadly, businesses in our districts have reported significant logistical hurdles that they must clear to receive a refund,” the letter said. “Under no circumstances should these companies bear the brunt of both the tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court and the denial of tariff refunds because of administrative mismanagement of the (CBP refund) system.”
The letter didn't name specific businesses and what they may have lost in the tariffs overturned by the Supreme Court but Stevens' office told the Free Press about one − Pontiac-based Astrohaus, which makes smart typewriters and other writing tools − which is seeking a refund of some $200,000 for just one shipment it paid tariffs on.
“Michigan businesses should not have to pay the price once let alone twice, first through illegal tariffs, and again because government red tape prevents them from getting their money back,” said Stevens.
CBP did not immediately respond to the Free Press' questions about the refund backlog and Stevens' concerns.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Stevens wants Trump administration to address tariff refund backlog
