On June 4, 2026, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) questioned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing over the administration's handling of an estimated $165 billion in tariff refunds following a Supreme Court ruling.

THE SUPREME COURT RULING: On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Learning Resources v. Trump that the administration's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad tariffs was unlawful — a ruling joined by justices across the ideological spectrum, including Chief Justice Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Barrett, and Jackson. According to the Yale Budget Lab, the average American household paid an estimated $1,800 more due to these tariffs. As of late May, only about $35 billion of the estimated $165 billion had been refunded.

THE EXCHANGE: Horsford asked Bessent directly whether Americans deserve refunds for tariffs the Supreme Court ruled illegal, framing it as a yes-or-no question. Bessent responded that the money "was in the US Treasury" and called it "not a yes or no question." When Horsford asked whether companies deserved the money back, Bessent redirected responsibility first to "the payers of record," then to Customs and Border Protection. Horsford entered into the record that while the Homeland Security Act of 2002 transferred certain customs functions to DHS, Treasury retains statutory authority over trade policy and revenue protection — authority that can be delegated in function but not in law.

THE APPEAL QUESTION: Horsford noted that on May 29, the Department of Justice appealed a court order that would have accelerated tariff refunds to importers and businesses, and asked Bessent directly whether he participated in those discussions. Bessent said no. When Horsford noted that a $165 billion decision is a major fiscal matter that Treasury should have been involved in, Bessent responded with an analogy: "Your bank does not tell you which bills to pay. You tell your bank."

THE SELF-DEALING SETTLEMENT: Horsford also raised what he described as a self-dealing settlement between President Trump and the Justice Department and IRS that grants Trump immunity from being audited. Bessent stated that no one is above the law and agreed the same standard should apply to the president "irrespective of whether the president is a Democrat or Republican," but did not directly address the specifics of the settlement Horsford referenced.

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SOURCES:
· Rep. Steven Horsford (official) — "Horsford Demands Answers, Accountability on Illegal Tariffs and American Refunds," June 4, 2026 — https://horsford.house.gov/media/press-releases/horsford-demands-answers-accountability-on-illegal-tariffs-and-american-refunds
· NBC News — "Refunds From Trump's Struck-Down Tariffs Remain Up In The Air," Feb. 21, 2026 — https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/tariff-refunds-supreme-court-trump-rcna259968
· Fortune — "Scott Bessent Has 'Got A Feeling' That $175 Billion Raised Under The IEEPA Is Lost To The American People For Good," Feb. 23, 2026 — https://fortune.com/2026/02/23/scott-bessent-tariff-supreme-court-ruling-refunds/
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