STORY: Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's tariffs, big corporations including FedEx, Costco, and L'Oreal, have sued the government for refunds.
And while the ruling is a win on paper for many, some small businesses are realizing that recouping a tariff refund won't be easy - if it happens at all.
SIEGAL: "The refund is important, but it's more important if it's done sooner because it allows us to stabilize pricing in the market."
Lee Siegel is founder and managing partner of ECR4Kids, which makes fixtures and learning products like toy boxes and cubbies. He says that while a tariff refund would help, the timing matters.
SIEGAL: "Like many companies that have imported, we have a tremendous amount of inventory that's burdened with these tariffs. And if there is in fact going to be a refund sooner rather than later, it allows us to adjust those the cost basis and ultimately reduce the cost in the market."
Roughly 97% of U.S. importers are small businesses, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...
And of the $175 billion in tariffs paid to the U.S. government, small businesses paid about $55 billion, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Wharton Budget Model.
Small business advocates say the government has the infrastructure to refund tariffs easily, and has done so before.
But in a press conference after the Supreme Court's ruling, U.S. President Donald Trump didn't make it clear when or if there would be any refunds.
:: February 20, 2026
TRUMP: "We'll end up being in court for the next five years."
For now, Siegel said he's holding off on litigation, citing a lack of clarity on the court process, and no guarantee of the outcome.
SIEGAL: "Pretty much any business can operate under any set of rules and terms. It's the, really the inconsistency and the chaotic approach and the instability that really makes it very, very difficult."
