Oregon AG Urges Congress to Pass Tariff Refund Legislation

AG: Oregon Media Releases

Published March 18th, 2026

Detected March 19th, 2026

Summary

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and 17 other state attorneys general are urging Congress to pass legislation requiring the government to refund approximately $166 billion in unlawful tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The Supreme Court previously struck down these tariffs, but a clear refund process for businesses and consumers is still needed.

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What changed

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, joined by 17 other state attorneys general, has formally requested Congress to pass legislation mandating the refund of approximately $166 billion in unlawful tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by the Trump administration. This action follows a Supreme Court ruling in February 2026 that found these tariffs illegal. The attorneys general are advocating for a swift, fair, and automatic refund process for businesses and consumers who bore the financial burden of these tariffs, which disproportionately affected low-income individuals.

The practical implication for regulated entities, particularly importers and potentially businesses that passed costs to consumers, is the need to monitor legislative developments regarding tariff refunds. While the Supreme Court invalidated the tariffs, the administration's proposed refund mechanism relies on a new direct deposit platform, with which only a small percentage of importers are registered. The attorneys general are pushing for legislation to ensure broader access to these refunds, including interest, and to encourage businesses to pass reimbursements onto consumers. Failure to establish a robust refund process could lead to continued financial strain and potential further legal challenges.

What to do next

Monitor Congressional developments regarding tariff refund legislation.
Assess potential eligibility for tariff reimbursements based on import records.
Evaluate internal processes for passing reimbursements to consumers if applicable.

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Attorney General Rayfield Calls on Congress to Pass Legislation Requiring Tariff Refunds

March 18, 2026 • Posted in Homepage, Lawsuits and Letters, Media Release
Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of 17 other attorneys general today urged Congress to pass legislation that would require the government to provide swift refunds for extra costs paid by businesses and consumers due to President Trump’s illegal tariffs. On February 20, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Attorney General Rayfield and a coalition of 11 other states and struck down tariffs the Trump administration imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

“Oregonians paid the price for Trump’s illegal tariffs – higher costs at the grocery store, tighter budgets, and real financial strain, especially for families already stretching every dollar,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “The Supreme Court ruled these tariffs unlawful, and the administration promised to pay back the money. Now we need Congress to make sure that happens – quickly, fairly, and for everyone, not just businesses with lawyers and lobbyists to navigate a broken refund process.”

“Attorney General Rayfield is right – every cent of the illegal tariffs the Trump administration collected needs to be returned, with interest,” said Senator Ron Wyden. “I’m leading the fight in the Senate to get that money back to Americans as soon as possible.”

Businesses and individuals nationwide have been charged approximately $166 billion in unlawful IEEPA tariffs, which resulted in higher prices that disproportionately strained low-income consumers’ finances. Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition are calling on Congress to pass new legislation that would require the Trump administration to reimburse importers for these illegal tariff charges with interest and encourage businesses that passed along direct tariff costs to consumers to reimburse their customers who ultimately bore the financial burden.

In April 2025, President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on countries across the globe by claiming he had the authority to do so under IEEPA. Shortly after, Attorney General Rayfield led a coalition of 11 other attorneys general and sued the administration, arguing that IEEPA does not give the president the power to impose tariffs. On February 20, 2026, Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition won their lawsuit at the Supreme Court, which struck down the IEEPA tariffs. While the Supreme Court did not make a decision regarding tariff reimbursements, the administration had repeatedly committed in court filings that they would need to refund tariff costs with interest if the IEEPA tariffs were ruled unlawful.

In a letter to House and Senate leadership, Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition are urging Congress to pass legislation requiring the administration to issue automatic tariff refunds as soon as possible. While the administration has indicated that importers would need to apply or sue for refunds, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has a database of every illegal IEEPA tariff paid by American direct importers. The CBP has stated that refunds will only be available via a new direct deposit platform that only six percent of importers are currently registered for. The administration has also suggested that importers may need to navigate multiple refund processes depending on their shipment’s status.

A refund process controlled by the administration would likely face delays and disadvantage small businesses and individuals that do not have the resources to navigate a complicated application process or sue for refunds. Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition are pushing for new legislation that could create an equitable, uniform, and fast process for all affected importers to be reimbursed for their tariff costs.

In addition, Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition urge Congress to require that businesses that directly passed on tariff costs to consumers and other businesses reimburse those costs, whenever possible. Importers that raised prices due to tariff costs should pass the benefit of the refunds they receive to those who ultimately bore the financial burden of the administration’s illegal tariffs. Congress should also consider other ways to address the economic burden that the most financially vulnerable had to bear because of the administration’s illegal policy. As the attorneys general assert, prices of cheaper products rose faster than prices of more expensive goods as a result of the tariffs, disproportionately impacting low-income consumers.

Joining Attorney General Rayfield in sending this letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

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