Costco suit highlights gaps in $166B tariff refund process

(The Center Square) – Warehouse retailer Costco Wholesale asked a federal judge to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit seeking consumer tariff refunds, saying the claims are premature and meritless, the latest sign that the $166 billion International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariff refund process could become the administrative "mess" Justice Amy Coney Barrett warned about.

Barrett cautioned during oral arguments in November 2025 that refunding the tariffs could be "a mess." Four months later, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has processed about $35.46 billion of the $166 billion owed to importers, according to a sworn declaration filed May 12 in the U.S. Court of International Trade.