Warren, Booker, Welch Slam Trump on Illegal Tariff “Theft from the Middle Class,” Demand Plan for Refunds Directly to Consumers and Small Businesses

Warren, Booker, Welch Slam Trump on Illegal Tariff "Theft from the Middle Class," Demand Plan for Refunds Directly to Consumers and Small Businesses

Trump's chaotic tariffs are estimated to have cost American families roughly $1,700, given corporations cover to price-gouge consumers

"Any refunds from the federal government should be returned to the millions of Americans and small businesses that were illegally cheated out of their hard-earned money."

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - Following the Supreme Court's ruling last week that President Donald Trump's chaotic tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are illegal, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) pressed Trump on his failure to plan to deliver refunds to the American people.

"Any refunds from the federal government should be returned to the millions of Americans and small businesses that were illegally cheated out of their hard-earned money. But it appears that you have no plans to refund these costs, and no idea how to do so," wrote the lawmakers.

On Friday, the Supreme Court struck down most of the costly tariffs that Donald Trump imposed last year, ruling that $175 billion in tariffs were collected illegally. Roughly 95% of the tariff cost has been passed down to American families and small businesses in the form of higher prices, estimated to have cost families an average of $1,700 each.

Beyond imposing significant costs on American families directly, Trump's chaotic tariffs have also given cover to giant corporations that have price-gouged consumers by passing on price increases that are unconnected to tariffs.

In a press conference immediately following Friday's Supreme Court ruling, Trump deferred on refunds and instead announced he would impose new tariffs to take even more money from the American people. Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent smirked at the idea, saying he has "a feeling the American people won't see it."

"Your inability or unwillingness to provide tariff refunds to American families would represent an egregious abdication of your responsibility as President - a giveaway to giant corporations that amounts to theft from the middle class," wrote the lawmakers.

The lawmakers pressed for more information by March 5, 2026 on the tariff refund windfall Trump owes the American people.

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