Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Analilia Mejia (D-NJ) and Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) led dozens of lawmakers in demanding the Trump administration make consumers eligible for tariff refunds and implement an automatic refund system to pay back small businesses that were harmed by the president’s illegal tariffs. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, the lawmakers called on the administration to forgo the current claims-based refund process that overwhelmingly benefits giant corporations, and instead implement an automatic refund system focused on compensating small businesses while also making consumers eligible for reimbursement.

"Working people and small businesses paid the price for Donald Trump’s illegal tariffs. Families saw higher prices at the grocery store, higher costs for everyday goods, and small businesses were forced to absorb costs they could not afford. Now that the courts have made clear these tariffs were unlawful, the administration cannot leave relief up to a cumbersome claims process that favors large corporations with teams of lawyers and staff. Every small business that was harmed should receive an automatic refund, and American consumers deserve compensation too. We must work to get small businesses and consumers the help they need immediately," said Congresswoman Mejia.

“While American families and mom-and-pop businesses faced the brunt of the damage caused by the president’s illegal tariff scheme, the administration’s current refund system prioritizes relief for giant corporations without any consideration for those who suffered the most,” said Congressman Cleaver. “We believe it is the American consumers that were forced to pay higher prices and the small businesses weighed down by higher costs that should receive immediate compensation. Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re seeing on the ground under the current system, and it is important that the administration make necessary changes before more damage is done to local economies across the country.”

On February 20, 2026, the United States Supreme Court in Learning Resources v. United States found that President Trump exceeded the authority granted to the president under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) when he implemented wide-ranging tariffs on American businesses nationwide. Before the Court weighed in, the federal government had already collected upwards of $166 billion in duties under IEEPA.

Although the administration established a process for American importers to apply for reimbursement, research shows that roughly 90 percent of tariff costs were passed on to consumers, who have been given no opportunity for relief.

Moreover, the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) portal created by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has proven to be unreliable, unfair, and unnecessarily burdensome for businesses it is meant to reimburse. While giant corporations have legal departments and administrative teams dedicated to these sorting through these issues, smaller businesses often do not have the resources and staff needed to operate the current system.

In addition to calling on immediate relief for consumers and small businesses, the lawmakers requested responses to the following questions:

• What steps are your agencies taking to ensure that small business owners are given adequate resources to obtain refunds and better understand the process, including those who were not designated as the importer of record?
• What steps are the administration taking to compensate or support small businesses and workers who may not be eligible for refunds, but nevertheless took on debt, lost revenue, or risk closing as a result of these tariffs?
• Why has CBP not made consumers eligible for reimbursement, given that research shows the majority of tariff costs were passed on to everyday Americans, and are there any plans to provide direct relief to American consumers?
• Why did CBP elect to pursue an importer-initiated claims process rather than issuing automatic refunds for unliquidated entries, and what actions are being taken to remediate technical failures in the CAPE portal and ensure timely processing of all claims?
• Does the administration have a timeline for the processing of all IEEPA refund claims?

The letter was co-signed by Reps. Balint (D-VT), Barragán (D-CA), Bonamici (D-OR), Castro (D-TX), Cisneros (D-CA), Craig (D-MN), Crockett (D-TX), DeGette (D-CO), DeLauro (D-CT), DeSaulnier (D-CA), Escobar (D-TX), Fletcher (D-TX), Garcia (D-TX), Grijalva (D-AZ), Hayes (D-CT), Hoyle (D-OR), Huffman (D-CA), McBride (D-DE), McCollum (D-MN), McIver (D-NJ), Moulton (D-MA), Holmes Norton (D-DC), Pallone (D-NJ), Pettersen (D-CO), Pingree (D-ME), Quigley (D-IL), Ryan (D-NY), Salinas (D-OR), Simon (D-CA), Titus (D-NV), Tonko (D-NY), Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Williams (D-GA).

The official letter from lawmakers is available here.

###