Larson and Democrats Press Major Retailers to Provide Tariff Relief to Customers

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01), a member of the House Trade Subcommittee, joined Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04) and 13 other Democrats to press the CEOs of ten major companies to ensure the tariff refunds they receive from the federal government are passed on to their customers. According to the Yale Budget Lab, the average household paid more than $1,700 last year thanks to President Trump's tariffs, which were ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court in February.

The letter was sent to the CEOs of Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Best Buy, FedEx, Amazon, Lowe's, Costco, UPS, and DHL. Rep. Larson is an original cosponsor of the RELIEF Act, requiring automatic tariff refunds to small businesses within 90 days of the Supreme Court decision overturning Trump's illegal tariffs. This week, Customs and Border Protection launched the tariff refund site for importers to register for their refunds, but there is no clear process to ensure the $175 billion in estimated tariff refunds reaches the small businesses and American families.

"Trump's tariffs raised costs nationwide, by the thousands for the average household - squeezing our small businesses and working families," said Larson. "Too many Americans are already struggling to make ends meet. Thankfully, the Supreme Court saw these illegal taxes for what they were and overruled them, but businesses are still waiting for the refunds they are owed. I am glad to join my Democratic colleagues to call on some of our nation's largest companies to pass the refunds they get from the federal government to their customers. We will hold them accountable, so they do not use this opportunity to pad their bottom line and raise costs even further."

"These illegal tariffs did more than raise prices; they destroyed livelihoods," said Horsford. "The individuals hit hardest were not corporations but rather working families and small business owners across this country. In Las Vegas alone, I saw a neighborhood cupcake shop, brewery, and coffee roaster forced to close because their costs skyrocketed because of the reckless tariffs. Those businesses are gone - maybe forever - but the large corporations able to weather Trump's storm are about to get their money back. Make it make sense. Major corporations can absorb these losses. They have the resources to withstand the impact. My focus is making sure these refunds do not simply become additional corporate profit. The people who actually paid these costs deserve to be front and center."

The letter demands answers to the following questions from America's largest retailers:

• How did your company account for tariff costs during the IEEPA tariff period? Please provide documentation or data showing whether and to what extent those costs were passed through to consumers, small business suppliers, or other parties in your supply chain.

• What steps, if any, does your company anticipate taking to ensure tariff relief translates into lower prices or other direct benefits for consumers-including price reductions, credits, or other mechanisms-and on what timeline?

• How will your company track and verify whether tariff relief reaches end consumers rather than remaining at the corporate level? Will you commit to not use any payments for executive compensation or stock buybacks?

• Will you commit to publicly report on the distribution of refunds, and if so, in what form and on what timeline?

• If tariff costs were passed down to small business suppliers or vendors in your supply chain, what steps will your company take to ensure those businesses receive proportionate relief?

• If tariff relief is not passed to consumers, what steps will your company take to ensure non-managerial workers benefit from the refund?
  

Full text of the letter is available HERE.