Costco is taking on the Trump administration in a battle over tariffs, arguing that the White House exceeded its authority when imposing duties on imported goods. The lawsuit, filed last Friday, claims that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which was used to justify the tariffs, was misused by the Trump administration.
The retail giant contends that IEEPA grants the president limited powers, but only in response to an "unusual and extraordinary threat" where a national emergency has been declared. Costco asserts that this law does not allow for the imposition of tariffs on general terms and that the term "tariff" or its equivalent meaning are not used.
In November, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments over President Trump's tariffs, with conservative justices appearing skeptical of the White House's position. Chief Justice John Roberts noted that imposing taxes on Americans is a core power reserved for Congress.
Costco has filed the lawsuit due to concerns about refundability in case the court ultimately determines Trump's tariffs are unconstitutional. Even if the tariffs are found unlawful, importers like Costco may not be entitled to refunds after 314 days have passed since the goods entered the country. Federal courts warn that importers lack legal rights to recover such refunds, even if the underlying tariff legality is later deemed incorrect.
The company is seeking a range of remedies, including halting further collection of duties, declaring Trump's tariffs illegal, and ordering a refund for any tariffs paid. The Trump administration has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
The retail giant contends that IEEPA grants the president limited powers, but only in response to an "unusual and extraordinary threat" where a national emergency has been declared. Costco asserts that this law does not allow for the imposition of tariffs on general terms and that the term "tariff" or its equivalent meaning are not used.
In November, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments over President Trump's tariffs, with conservative justices appearing skeptical of the White House's position. Chief Justice John Roberts noted that imposing taxes on Americans is a core power reserved for Congress.
Costco has filed the lawsuit due to concerns about refundability in case the court ultimately determines Trump's tariffs are unconstitutional. Even if the tariffs are found unlawful, importers like Costco may not be entitled to refunds after 314 days have passed since the goods entered the country. Federal courts warn that importers lack legal rights to recover such refunds, even if the underlying tariff legality is later deemed incorrect.
The company is seeking a range of remedies, including halting further collection of duties, declaring Trump's tariffs illegal, and ordering a refund for any tariffs paid. The Trump administration has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
Costco taking on the whole US government over some tariffs... I don't get why they're making such a big deal about it though... isn't this just a normal trade dispute? 
anyway, if the court rules in Costco's favor, that'd be awesome for consumers... we should all see some price drops 
. Like, who wouldn't want to go up against the powerful White House? But seriously though, this makes total sense - those tariffs have been super confusing and unfair for businesses like Costco. And can we talk about how ridiculous it is that importers don't even have legal rights to get refunds after 314 days 
. And fingers crossed for Costco - they're already taking a huge risk by going up against the Trump admin 
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It was so expensive due to those tariffs! Anyway, the US Supreme Court already heard some stuff about it and Chief Justice Roberts is all like "duh Congress should be in charge of taxes". Fingers crossed Costco wins this thing and we can finally get some relief from these crazy tariffs 
i mean who does trumps team think they r, king of america? 
the us supreme court heard oral args & the conservative justices were low-key roasted by chief justice john roberts lol he was all like "imposing taxes on americans is a core power reserved for congress" btw cant imagine how many refunds ccs got stuck w/ over 314 days lol this law sucks either way 
. Can't we just have some clear-cut answers for once?
I need to see some sources on how the Trump admin thought they had the power to do this without congressional approval. And what's with the 314 day rule? If they're gonna keep taking our money without giving us refunds, shouldn't we be able to sue them too? I'm no lawyer, but this all seems like a big ol mess 
. But I guess when you're dealing with a huge amount of money and a long lead time for refunds (314 days? that's ages!), someone's gotta push back.
! I'm lowkey shocked they're going up against the Trump admin over tariffs, but at the same time, like, totally get it? They're all about protecting their customers' interests and whatnot. It's kinda cool that Costco is using the courts to try and get some answers on how this whole tariff thing works 
Anyways, I'm keeping an eye on this one - fingers crossed for Costco 
that'd be wild!
gotta see how this all plays out...
. Anyway, gotta keep an eye on this one - it could be interesting 
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can u believe costco is going up against the trump admin? like i know they're huge but this is crazy! so i was reading about it and it seems like they're saying the president overstepped his authority with those tariffs... and now they're in court 
. It's crazy that importers don't even have a clear right to get those refunds back if they're deemed unlawful. This whole thing just stinks of abuse of power 
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