Trump’s Tariff Refund Process Sparks ‘Grave Concerns’ About Consumers Getting Money Back, State Treasurer Cohort Says

BreakingBusinessTrump’s Tariff Refund Process Sparks ‘Grave Concerns’ About Consumers Getting Money Back, State Treasurer Cohort SaysByAlison Durkee,Forbes Staff. Alison is a senior news reporter covering US politics and legal news.Follow AuthorMay 12, 2026, 04:20pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineA group of state treasurers and fiscal leaders pushed President Donald Trump in a letter to make the tariff refund process more transparent, as the Trump administration starts paying back money to importers after the Supreme Court declared the tariffs to be unlawful—but consumers who paid higher prices still largely can’t get their money back.President Donald Trump speaks to journalists on the South Lawn of the White House on May 8.AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsA group of Democratic state treasurers, controllers and auditors from California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon and Vermont sent a letter to Trump, which expressed “grave concerns” about the tariff refund process and called for the process to be carried out “with full transparency and fairness.”The Trump administration has established a portal for importers to apply for tariff refunds—after being forced to do so in court—resulting in tariff refunds starting to hit companies’ accounts last week, with importers reporting the process is running largely smoothly.While importers are getting their money back, consumers who had the tariff costs passed onto them in the form of higher prices have had little recourse—it’s up to the companies to voluntarily give customers their money back, though some consumers are also filing class action lawsuits to force paybacks.The state officials said they were concerned as a result that the tariff refund process “does not now nor will adequately reflect the actual distribution of costs,” because it does not account for pass-through costs to the consumer.The letter ca...