Warren Presses U.S. Companies To Share Billions in Tariff Refunds With Customers, CBS News
August 07, 2026CBS News spoke with partner Katelyn Hilferty about whether companies receiving refunds for tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are obligated to pass those refunds on to consumers.
Katie explained that, in most cases, companies can decide whether to share tariff refunds with customers, while noting that limited public information could complicate consumer lawsuits seeking to recover tariff-related price increases.
“Part of what’s inherently difficult in some of these suits is that a lot of this information is not public. So you don’t know if this company obtained a refund or not, and unless the tariffs were explicitly listed as a line item, you don’t know why the company raised prices,” she said. “Right now, it’s a little unclear what the chances of success are.”