Bessent says US will issue refunds if Supreme Court strikes down Trump Tariffs

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the US government will issue rebates if the Supreme Court strikes down President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs imposed on most of Washington’s trading partners. Scott Bessent’s comments come after a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in August termed most of Trump’s tariffs illegal, stating that he has overstepped his Presidential powers by imposing the levies, which is the prerogative of Congress.

Bessent, speaking to NBC News' "Meet the Press", warned that refunding such a massive amount would hurt the US treasury.

“We would have to give a refund on about half the tariffs, which would be terrible for the Treasury,” he said, adding, “If the court says it, we’d have to do it.”

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‘Numerous other avenues available’

Bessent also said that the Trump administration can take "numerous other avenues" on tariffs, although that will “diminish” Trump’s leverage in negotiations with the US’s trading partners. However, he did not elaborate further on what the other avenues were.

Earlier, US National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CBS News “other legal authorities” were available to the Trump administration if the Supreme Court’s verdict goes against the tariffs, adding that "Section 232" investigations, which were utilised to implement tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, were among the other options.

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US Govt's appeal to SC

President Trump last week urged the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s ruling, turning most of the tariffs illegal. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in August, in a 7-4 ruling, stated that most of Trump’s tariffs were illegal as he had overstepped Presidential powers by imposing the duties without getting Congress involved. The court stated that imposing tariffs was "a core Congressional power."

The Trump administration, in its appeal to the Supreme Court, stated, "delaying a ruling until June 2026 could result in a scenario in which 750 billion to one trillion dollars in tariffs have already been collected, and unwinding them could cause significant disruption.”

"The stakes in this case could not be higher," Solicitor General John Sauer said in Wednesday night's filing as quoted in media reports. According to media reports.

According to a report by CNBC, Bessent has said that “delaying a ruling until June 2026 could result in a scenario in which $750 billion-$1 trillion in tariffs have already been collected, and unwinding them could cause significant disruption.”