Return Tariff Refunds to Consumers, Not Corporations

Congress needs to pass legislation requiring that tariff refunds flow back to the consumers who actually paid them. Apple pocketed an estimated $2.2 billion in refunds last quarter. Amazon got $600 million. Nike got $300 million. Meanwhile, American households that absorbed an average of $1,000 in higher prices last year are legally barred from filing a single refund claim. The current system lets only direct importers collect refunds, which means corporations get made whole while the rest of us get nothing. The Trump administration once floated $2,000 rebate checks to address exactly this problem — they never materialized. With $166 billion in total refunds being processed right now, there is still time to act. Pass legislation that redirects a fair share of those funds to the consumers who bore the real cost of these tariffs.