Washington, Sep 10 (IANS) A group of US lawmakers has asked Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to clear administrative backlogs that they say are preventing American businesses from obtaining refunds for tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court.
Democratic Reps. Haley Stevens of Michigan and Steven Horsford of Nevada led the appeal to CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, according to a statement released on Wednesday by Stevens’ office.
The lawmakers said businesses have encountered difficulties using CBP’s Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries system (CAPE).
They warned that processing delays could prevent importers from meeting the agency’s 90-day deadline for seeking refunds, potentially denying smaller companies money they are legally entitled to receive.
“Sadly, businesses in our districts have reported significant logistical hurdles that they must clear to receive a refund,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Scott.
“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 CAPE system,” they added.
The dispute follows a February 2026 Supreme Court ruling that President Donald Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs was unlawful.
The lawmakers are asking CBP to take the administrative steps needed to return duties collected under the invalidated tariff programme.
“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,” Stevens said.
The lawmakers’ demand centres on the mechanism through which importers can seek repayment, rather than the legality of the tariffs themselves, which was addressed by the Supreme Court.
IEEPA gives the President powers to address an unusual and extraordinary foreign threat during a declared national emergency. The scope of those powers became central to the legal challenge against the administration’s use of the law for broad tariffs.
Customs and Border Protection collects tariffs and administers the entry of imported merchandise into the United States. Following a judicial decision invalidating duties, importers may have to navigate customs procedures and filing deadlines before individual payments can be returned.
The congressional letter adds pressure on the agency to ensure that procedural delays do not diminish the practical effect of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
–IANS
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