Trump and his cronies just went ahead and did this BIG Import tax levied on US Consumers and Businesses disguised as tariff’s….
The Supreme’s ruled that most of that was under NO real emergency and was ILEGAL….
Now?
Trump’s people are trying desperately to KEPP the money…
The fight for the return of that money is getting warmed up….
No $2,000 Tariff checks , eh?
No Taifff money to balance the budget and pay for Trump dream’s?
Meanwhile?
Trump’s gnomes are probably workingb hard to find other ways to take money from American consumers, without Congress stopping them from the ‘steal’?
The fight for tariff refunds following the Supreme Court’s decision to void President Trump’s sweeping levies is underway.
A Michigan auto parts store and New York wine importer are leading the charge, and they’re moving fast.
Hundreds of small businesses and major corporations alike have rushed to court to reclaim the unlawfully collected funds, as the Trump administration awaits instruction on a roadmap for next steps.
“Our goal is simple: No unnecessary expense. No unnecessary disruption. No 900-case pileup,” Liberty Justice Center, which represents the wine importer, VOS Selections, said this week….
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Who will lead: Wine importer or auto parts store?
VOS Selections, which imports sake and spirits, has already made moves to secure its refund with the four small businesses it sued alongside.
Victor Schwartz, VOS Selections’ founder, said hours after the Supreme Court’s decision last Friday that the ruling marked a “turning point” for thousands of small businesses nationwide.
Though his company is owed a refund in the “low six figures,” the tariffs made a major impact on his business’s cash flow — a disadvantage many small businesses likely faced, he said.
“As you could understand, cash flow is the lifeblood of a company,” said Schwartz.
The Trump administration long ago guaranteed VOS Selections and the other original plaintiffs refunds if they emerged victorious.
The administration has said it won’t object to refunds for other businesses. But still, the process may be more complicated….
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In one major move, FedEx, the global shipping company, sued the Trump administrationTuesday for a “full refund” on the import taxes it paid since the emergency tariffs went into place. Soon after, the company vowed to give those funds back to those who initially bore the charges: Shippers and consumers.
“When that will happen and the exact process for requesting and issuing refunds will depend in part on future guidance from the government and the court,” the company said in a statement Thursday.
As companies like FedEx line up, it remains unclear whether the wine importer will continue to be the face.
A Muskegon, Mich., auto parts store has emerged as a contender to take the baton.
For months, other companies’ lawsuits were consolidated with AGS Company Automotive Solutions’ case, effectively making it the lead docket.
That is, until Dec. 23, when Mark Barnett, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of International Trade, halted new cases.
DOJ not stepping on gas
With the Supreme Court ruling now in, AGS is pushing to lift the pause.
On Wednesday, the auto parts store asked for a hearing “as soon as practicable.” The store’s lawyers said they’d be ready to go as soon as the next day, but the court did not oblige.
AGS had told the court that “a delay in lifting the stay favors defendants and prejudices Plaintiffs further.”
Schwartz’s business, meanwhile, is back at the intermediate appeals court.
VOS Selections has urged the swift return of its “mandate,” the formal document ending the appeals process that enables the lower court to regain jurisdiction .
Though the government has 25 days to ask the Supreme Court to rehear the case, and the justices won’t issue its judgment until 32 days have passed, the businesses argue that there is “no impediment” to moving forward now. The appeals court can issue its mandate at any time, they contend.
“The mandate did not issue in the ordinary course here only because of this Court’s order staying the mandate’s issuance until the Supreme Court entered its judgment,” their lawyers wrote. “Because that has now happened, this mandate should issue forthwith.”
As the businesses step on the gas, the Justice Department is content with letting things unfold more slowly….
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Dems make move of their own
As the courts parse refunds, Democrats have sought to take matters into their own hands.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) wrote in a letter to Trump he shared publicly Friday that he invoiced the administration for $8.6 billion, a refund of $1,700 for every family in the state.
“The Supreme Court has ruled that this is yet one more unconstitutional act by you and your administration,” he said. “This letter and the attached invoice stand as an official notice that compensation is owed to the people of Illinois, and if you do not comply we will pursue further action.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) made similar demands, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) urged the president that it’s “time to pay the piper.”
In Congress, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced legislation that would require prompt, full refunds of Trump’s emergency tariffs, plus interest, rather than wait for a court to figure out a process.
Some 19 other Democrats are co-sponsoring the bill, which would force U.S. Customs and Border Protection to front the costs and pay interest on the refunded amount within 180 days of enactment….
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