Statement on CIT Striking Down Section 122 Tariffs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — May 7, 2026 — Washington D.C. — Statement from Dan Anthony, Executive Director of We Pay the Tariffs, on today's Court of International Trade ruling in Burlap and Barrel, Inc. v. Trumpfinding the Section 122 tariffs unlawful:

"Today's ruling is more positive news for the small businesses that have been crushed by these illegal taxes. The Court should have gone further and blocked collection of these tariffs during any appeal. American businesses paid roughly $8 billion in Section 122 tariffs in March alone, and that was just the beginning of their impacts. 

“Small businesses cannot afford a repeat of the IEEPA refund headaches now playing out at CBP. The administration should stop trying to impose tariffs under false pretenses and let American small businesses focus on growth instead of more tariff shenanigans."

Key data from this week's release (full release here):

- American businesses paid roughly $8 billion in Section 122 tariffs in March 2026, the first full month those tariffs were in effect.

- Total presidential tariffs paid since March 2025 have reached $283 billion, including the $166 billion collected under IEEPA before the Supreme Court struck it down.

- Tariff costs are hitting every state. Texas businesses have paid $30 billion, Michigan $19 billion, Georgia $17 billion, Florida $9.7 billion, Ohio $9.3 billion, and Tennessee $9.2 billion since March 2025.

- CBP's CAPE refund portal launched April 20, but many coalition members report IEEPA refunds will go straight to past tariff-related debts or be set aside for future tariffs, blunting their impact.

We Pay the Tariffs can connect media with small business owners across the country who can speak firsthand to the impact of Section 122 and the broader tariff regime. 

About the Data

All data come from Trade Partnership Worldwide's State Tariff Tracker ("Tracker") database. The Tracker combines national import and tariff data from the U.S. Census Bureau (Census), including details on special provisions that either lower tariffs (e.g., preference claims such as USMCA) or increase them (e.g., Chapter 99 rates for Section 301 or IEEPA tariffs), tariff schedules from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and state import value data from Census. Trade Partnership Worldwide data is frequently cited in national and international media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, ABC, NBC, CBS, Axios, Politico, CNBC, CNN, BBC, and more.

View State-by-State Data: The map showing tariff costs for all 50 states is available at wepaythetariffs.com/impact-map.

About We Pay the Tariffs

We Pay the Tariffs is a grassroots coalition of nearly 1,200 small businesses that advocates against tariffs. Members include restaurants, manufacturers, retailers, importers, and other enterprises from every U.S. region. For more information: www.wepaythetariffs.com.

Contact: press@wepaythetariffs.com.