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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
America will refund about ‘half the tariffs’ if SCOTUS rules Trump | |
overstepped, Bessent says | |
By Auzinea Bacon, CNN | |
Updated: | |
11:18 AM EDT, Sun September 7, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
The Treasury Department will issue rebates if the Supreme Court upholds | |
a ruling that President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs were | |
an overstep of power, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday. | |
“We would have to give a refund on about half the tariffs, which | |
would be terrible for the Treasury,” Bessent said during an | |
appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” | |
He added that, “If the court says it, we’d have to do it.” | |
But there are “numerous other avenues” that can be taken on | |
tariffs, though they would “diminish President Trump’s negotiating | |
position,” Bessent said, without citing details. | |
During an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” National | |
Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said there are “other legal | |
authorities” to implement tariffs if the Supreme Court does not rule | |
in favor of the Trump administration. He suggested “Section 232” | |
investigations, which were used to implement steel and aluminum | |
tariffs, among . | |
A federal appeals court ruled on August 29 that Trump’s | |
“reciprocal” tariffs were among the imposed duties that breach the | |
president’s authority, saying that the International Emergency | |
Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the emergency tariffs | |
Trump imposed earlier this year. | |
“We discern no clear congressional authorization by IEEPA for tariffs | |
of the magnitude of the Reciprocal Tariffs and Trafficking Tariffs,” | |
the court said in its majority ruling. | |
The fresh slate of the Trump administration’s so-called | |
“reciprocal” tariffs, which in early August, will remain in place | |
after the court delayed implementation of its order until October 14. | |
The court ruling has put into question the Trump administration’s | |
ability to continue trade negotiations. The Trump administration the | |
ruling to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, warning of a “poor | |
nation” without tariffs. | |
Bessent said on Sunday that he is “confident” the Trump | |
administration will win at the Supreme Court. | |
But the impact of Trump’s economic policies may slowly be revealing | |
itself. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ August jobs report indicated | |
that the US economy added about 22,000 jobs in August and the | |
unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3% — the highest it’s been in | |
nearly four years. | |
Among the hardest-hit sectors are those in the goods business. The , | |
and the whipsaw manner in which it’s being applied, have had an | |
“undeniable” impact on hiring, RSM US economist Joe Brusuelas wrote | |
in a note to investors Friday. Goods businesses have “four straight | |
months of declines since May,” Brusuelas noted. | |
“We can’t snap our fingers and have factories built,” Bessent | |
said, adding that “we are going to see construction jobs and | |
manufacturing jobs,” in part due to the passage of the “One Big | |
Beautiful Bill.” | |
The Trump administration has touted that American companies should | |
“eat” the additional costs of tariffs, in a denial that such duties | |
are a tax on American consumers. But , and are among companies warning | |
that tariffs would lead to price increases as the US collects tariff | |
revenue from imports. | |
The United States collected roughly $28 billion in customs duties in | |
July, according to the Treasury Department’s monthly statement. In | |
April, the Treasury reported that it collected $16.8 billion in gross | |
customs duties. | |
In June, the Department of Homeland Security said US Customs and Border | |
Protection collected $81.5 billion from Trump’s tariffs. | |
This story has been updated with additional content. | |
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