Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted that the American people would never see the return of $175 billion in tariffs collected by the Trump administration after the Supreme Court struck down the president's ability to impose them.
During an event at the Economic Club of Dallas on Friday, Ray Washburne noted that the administration had collected about $175 billion in tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) before the court ruled it unconstitutional.
"But is that going to be in dispute?" Washburne asked. "Like who gets it back?"
"Yeah, it's in dispute," Bessent confirmed. "The Supreme Court did not rule on that today. They pushed it back down to the International Tax and Trade Court. And my sense is that could be dragged out for weeks, months, years."
"Well, that's going to be a food fight going after the $175 billion," Washburne observed.
"I got a feeling the American people won't see it," Bessent predicted.
Trump has vowed to continue imposing tariffs despite the court's ruling on Friday.