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Refund Letter
We Pay the Tariff's second letter called on the Trump administration and Congress to provide full, automatic, and immediate refunds to American small businesses that paid billions in unlawful IEEPA tariffs later struck down by the Supreme Court.
To the President and the United States Congress.
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) exceed the President’s lawful authority, we call on the Administration and Congress to ensure that American small businesses receive full, automatic, and fast refunds of all unlawfully collected tariff payments. As small businesses that form the backbone of the U.S. economy, we believe policymakers must know:
We paid the tariffs. We deserve our money back. American small businesses—not foreign governments—paid billions of dollars in IEEPA tariffs. We have dipped into personal savings, taken out high-interest loans, laid off employees, and cut wages to cover costs that were never lawfully imposed. Now that the Supreme Court has struck down these tariffs, every dollar collected must be returned.
Small businesses cannot fight for what they are owed. We do not have large legal departments or customs teams. We cannot afford to hire lawyers, navigate complex claims processes, or spend months filing paperwork to recover money that never should have been collected. The government has records of every tariff payment. Refunds must be automatic, meaning that they are issued directly to importers of record without requiring individual applications.
We cannot wait years for relief. Small businesses operate on tight margins and short timelines. Many of us have already exhausted our reserves. A refund that arrives in two or three years is not meaningful relief for a business struggling to make payroll today. For many of us, a timely refund is the difference between rehiring workers, restoring wages, and reinvesting in growth, or closing our doors for good. Refunds must be fast, measured in days or weeks, not months or years.
The Administration should direct Customs and Border Protection to begin issuing refunds immediately using existing payment records. If legislation is needed, Congress should act without delay. This is not a partisan issue. Every dollar refunded to a small business is a dollar injected back into American communities, creating jobs, supporting families, and strengthening Main Street.
We paid the tariffs. We are owed our money back, without having to fight for it, and without having to wait.
No Tariffs Letter
This was the first letter issued by We Pay the Tariffs in response to the Trump administration’s now-ruled illegal tariffs, highlighting the devastating impact on American small businesses, workers, and consumers while calling for the immediate end of the tariffs.
To whom it may concern:
The recently imposed tariffs threaten our businesses, workers, customers, and the entire U.S. economy. As small businesses that form the backbone of the U.S. economy, we believe policymakers must know:
We pay the tariffs. There is no “free tariff money” from foreigners. It comes from American businesses and creates nothing but bad options including: raising prices for our customers, laying off workers or cutting salaries and benefits, reducing investments, or taking high-interest loans. When even that is not enough, we will be forced to close.
Tariffs hurt small businesses most. We do not have tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars available to pay the new tariffs. Products are ordered months in advance, and it often takes months more for us to be paid. Many orders will be canceled, eliminating prospects for future sales or profits.
Tariffs will cause irreparable harms. Years of hard work, late nights, and sweat equity to build our businesses, create good jobs, and contribute to our communities will be wiped out in the very near future. Waiting 6 or 12 months for a potential solution is not viable. Many of our businesses will no longer exist.
The President should immediately cancel the new tariffs. If the President will not, Congress should intervene to end all emergency tariffs and revoke the delegated authorities used to impose them. This is not a partisan issue. No individual – regardless of party – should be able to impose or remove hundreds of billions of taxes on a whim.
There is simply too much at stake for all Americans.
