Learning Resources Receives $10 Million Tariff Refund After Supreme Court Voids Trump Duties
Updated
Updated · The New Yorker · May 18
Learning Resources Receives $10 Million Tariff Refund After Supreme Court Voids Trump Duties
2 articles · Updated · The New Yorker · May 18
More than $10 million flowed back to Learning Resources last week, nearly covering the Illinois toymaker’s tariff payments from the past year after Customs processed its refund claim.
February’s Supreme Court ruling struck down Trump’s blanket tariffs as beyond presidential authority under the 1977 emergency-powers law, forcing the government to repay importers.
The refund eases damage from a hiring freeze, delayed warehouse plans and price increases at the 500-employee company, which said it missed its 2025 budget and sales targets.
Relief is only partial: the administration quickly imposed new 10% global duties under other statutes, and Trump is expected to pursue fresh Section 301 tariffs after new trade investigations.
The broader fallout remains unsettled, with households estimated to have paid about $1,000 on average from higher import costs while only a few large companies have promised customer refunds or lower prices.
With companies keeping billions in tariff refunds, will consumers ever see lower prices or receive direct compensation?
As the government and courts clash over tariffs, how can businesses plan when trade rules are constantly changing?
If tariffs fail to boost U.S. manufacturing jobs, what is the true long-term economic strategy behind them?