State urges Congress to reimburse Virginians for Trump’s tariffs in nationwide push

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia, alongside more than a dozen states, is seeking billions of dollars in refunds for consumers and businesses after the Supreme Court voided President Trump's tariffs early this year.

The office of the attorney general on Wednesday, March 18, said it has sent a letter to congressional leadership urging the government to pass legislation for automatic tariff reimbursements collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Virginia is part of a coalition of 17 states, spearheaded by New York's attorney general, pushing for the refunds.

Per the letter, the tariffs resulted in about $166 billion paid by over 330,000 American businesses and individuals across 53 million shipments. The coalition said small businesses and low-income households were disproportionately affected by the import taxes, which raised prices on groceries, clothing, household items and more.

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"We are just demanding that the money that is owed to us come back to the people who earned it," Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones told 8News.

The attorney general's office said the White House tariffs added about $1,700 in additional costs to a Virginia family, with farmers among those bearing the brunt. Jones said he's pushing for the creation of a streamlined process that doesn't require consumers to sue for refunds.

"$1,700 is real money for real people. We're using every tool in our toolbox to make sure that that money comes back to where it's supposed to be, which is in the pockets of hardworking Virginians," Jones said.

The nationwide push came after Virginia, in early March, joined a coalition of blue states suing to block the latest White House tariffs after the Trump administration's previous attempt to levy import taxes on most of the world was deemed unlawful.

After the Supreme Court struck down the president's use of IEEPA, the administration leveraged Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to announce tariffs up to 15% on most imported goods worldwide.

The attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont together formed the coalition and signed the letter.