Washington, Feb 28 (NationPress) Prominent Senate Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration refund over $130 billion in tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, intensifying a political and legal struggle regarding what they term unjust taxes on American businesses and consumers.

In a letter dated February 27 to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the lawmakers insisted that the administration should start issuing automatic refunds immediately, rather than requiring small businesses to engage in legal battles.

“The American people — including small business operators, importers, manufacturers, and the consumers who ultimately paid these illegal taxes — deserve better than this obstruction,” the senators asserted. “This money does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to the businesses and individuals you unlawfully taxed.”

Leading the letter were Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, and Senator Ben Ray Lujan, in response to a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling that determined the President exceeded his lawful authority in imposing the tariff system.

The senators sharply criticized Bessent’s comments following the ruling.

“On Friday, after the Supreme Court’s decision, you stated that ‘the American people won’t see’ the billions of dollars in unlawfully collected tariff revenue,” they noted. They further pointed out that he referred to refund inquiries as “bad framing” and suggested the issue was “up to the lower court.”

The senators countered by reminding Bessent that he previously indicated that issuing refunds “won’t be a problem” for the Treasury and that “if the court mandates it, we must comply.” They emphasized: “The Court has mandated it. In a 6-3 decision, it found that the President exceeded his legal authority. You must return the people’s money.”

The lawmakers outlined four key demands: they urged the administration to instruct US Customs and Border Protection to commence processing automatic refunds for tariffs and customs duties collected under IEEPA since January 20, 2025. They also called for a transparent and swift refund process prioritizing small businesses, a clear public timeline of no more than 90 days for disbursements, and an end to any delays or denials of refunds pending further litigation.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling was not, as you described it, ‘a loss for the American people.’ It was a reaffirmation that no president is above the law,” the senators declared. “The true loss for the American people would be if an administration that collected over $130 billion in illegal taxes then refused — with indifference — to return it. If this administration fails to act, Congress will step in.”

Over 20 Democratic senators endorsed the letter, including Angela Alsobrooks, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Tammy Duckworth, Dick Durbin, Kirsten Gillibrand, John Hickenlooper, Mazie Hirono, Tim Kaine, Andy Kim, Amy Klobuchar, Jeff Merkley, Jack Reed, Jacky Rosen, Adam Schiff, Mark Warner, Raphael Warnock, Alex Padilla, Sheldon Whitehouse, Michael Bennet, and Lisa Blunt Rochester.

The tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act led to legal challenges from importers and business groups who contended that the executive branch overstepped its legal authority.