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The United States government has refunded $81 billion in tariffs collected from importers after the Supreme Court ruled that a significant portion of the duties imposed under President Donald Trump was unlawful.
Budget figures released on Monday showed the refunds were made during the current fiscal year, which began in October 2025, compared with $5 billion returned during the same period a year earlier.
A Treasury Department official told reporters that the spike is almost entirely because of the Supreme Court decision, with most of the refunds happening in May and June.
The court’s decision invalidated a substantial portion of the additional tariffs introduced by Trump after he returned to office, requiring the government to reimburse companies that had paid the duties.
Trump had promoted the tariffs as a central pillar of his economic agenda, arguing they would revive domestic manufacturing, secure better trade agreements and help reduce the federal budget deficit.
However, despite the tariff revenue, the federal deficit has widened again after showing signs of improvement last year.
According to the latest budget data, the deficit reached $1.367 trillion in the first nine months of the fiscal year, representing a 2 per cent increase.
The figures also showed that the US spent more than $1 trillion servicing its national debt, a 14 per cent rise from the previous year, while military expenditure increased by 5 per cent, driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
