FedEx joins growing list of companies suing federal government for tariff refunds after SCOTUS ruling

Last Monday, FedEx became the latest of at least 1,800 companies suing the federal government to recover financial losses it sustained due to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

In an 11-page complaint to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), FedEx asked for a refund on all money it paid in import taxes in the last calendar year, with interest. Last month, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the majority of Trump’s tariffs in a 6-3 ruling. The decision said Trump’s expanded use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to implement the tariffs through executive orders exceeded his authority.

“As a result of the executive orders identified in this lawsuit, Plaintiffs [FedEx] have paid IEEPA duties to the United States and thus have suffered injury caused by those orders,” FedEx’s complaint reads. “The relief Plaintiffs seek from this Court would redress those injuries.”

The ruling, in which Chief Justice John Roberts and Trump appointees Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch sided with the three liberal justices for the majority, did not give guidance on the estimated $130-$175 billion in revenue the tariffs generated for the federal government in 2025.

After the ruling, Trump bashed the justices who ruled against him for “not doing what’s right for our country” and called them a “disgrace to our nation.” He also increased the global tariff rate to 15% after the ruling.

Wisconsin: Kohl’s, Milwaukee Tool and Ashley Furniture seek tariff refunds

FedEx, which is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., is the latest of dozens of Midwest companies demanding refunds for Trump’s tariffs, which have decimated farms, manufacturing jobs and many other industries across the country.

Starting last December, prominent Wisconsin companies like Kohl’s, Milwaukee Tool, Ashley Furniture Industries LLC, Weyco Group and six others began filing similar lawsuits seeking to recover financial losses.

Florsheim Shoes, a subsidiary of Weyco Group, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the uncertainty caused by the tariffs has been difficult for their operations.

“Businesses like ours, and I think most businesses, need certainty,” Florsheim Shoes CEO Tom Florsheim told the Sentinel. “And what happened on Liberation Day and the aftermath was these tariffs were changing, if not weekly, monthly. That is very difficult for any business from the standpoint of planning. And it made 2025 a very difficult year and we spend an enormous amount of management time trying to figure out how to manage this.”

Texas: Yeti, Kendra Scott and Valero sue over tariff costs

More than a dozen companies headquartered in Texas have also filed lawsuits, including the drinkware company Yeti Holdings, jewelry designer Kendra Scott and fuel producer Valero Energy. Economic expert Raymond Robertson, the director of Mosbacher Institute of Trade, Economics and Public Policy at Texas A&M University, cited the widespread harm the tariffs have caused across industries as the reason for the lawsuits.

“It’s everybody. It’s not just one sector. They’re widespread,” Robertson told Austin American-Statesman last month. “It’s incredibly widespread. And it’s really unprecedented in scope. But if you’re going to put on tariffs, just tell us and we can deal with that. But the uncertainty is much worse than the tariffs themselves.”

Goodyear, Marathon Petroleum and other Midwest companies suing

Alcoa Corporation, an aluminum manufacturer centered in Pittsburgh, filed their lawsuit on Nov. 26, 2025, demanding a full refund for IEEPA duties the company has already paid and will pay in the future.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber (of Ohio), Marathon Petroleum and auto parts manufacturer BorgWarner were also among the companies to file lawsuits in the U.S. Court of International Trade last year.

Some Democrats want direct refunds

On Monday, Senate Democrats introduced legislation to refund $175 billion to businesses. The bill prioritizes small businesses and encourages large corporations to pass the refunds onto consumers.

However, some Democrats went a step further and called for direct refunds to citizens. The same day the SCOUTS decision came down, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) sent a letter demanding $8.6 billion for Illinois families, or $1,700 per Illinois family.

Ohio Senate candidate Sherrod Brown called for a $1,336 refund to every Ohio household. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) made a similar demand of $1,751 for California households.

Gavin Newsom isn’t mincing words:

“Trump owes families their money back. $1,751 per household.”

Trump illegally taxed working Americans through tariffs.

Took hundreds of billions. Got caught.
Got ruled against.

Now he needs to return every dollar.

No excuses. No delays. pic.twitter.com/sKvIiX4RJ0

— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) February 20, 2026

Tax Foundation, a right-leaning think tank, estimates the tariffs will amount to an average tax increase of $1,000 per U.S. household for 2025. This does not include the impact felt from increased prices and loss of consumer choice.