Dana Bash presses Scott Bessent on $134 billion in tariff refunds, and he keeps dodging until she backs him into a corner he can’t escape

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently faced tough questions about whether the government will refund $134 billion in tariff revenue, after the Supreme Court struck down most of President Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs. The questioning happened on CNN’s State of the Union, where anchor Dana Bash pressed Bessent on the financial impact of the court’s decision.

Bash asked directly whether the roughly $134 billion collected from these “emergency tariffs” would be refunded to businesses and consumers who paid them. Bessent pushed back, arguing that the Supreme Court’s ruling was a narrow interpretation of the president’s authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and that other tariff authorities like Section 232 and Section 301 are still fully in place.

Bessent also stressed that the Supreme Court did not actually rule on refunds. According to The Hill, the case was sent back to a lower court, and he said it could take weeks or even months before that court makes a decision, adding that refunds are “not up to the administration.”

The Supreme Court’s ruling was a serious setback for Trump’s tariff strategy

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision, handed down on Friday, effectively struck down most of Trump’s widespread tariffs, which had been applied to nearly every country using expanded IEEPA authority. The IEEPA is a 1970s law originally designed to let the president “regulate” imports during national emergencies posing an “unusual and extraordinary” threat.

Bash reminded Bessent that the federal government had previously promised refunds if the tariffs were found to be “unlawful.” She then asked him directly whether he personally believed the refunds should be paid out. This is not the first time Bessent has been put on the spot over economic concerns, Senator Elizabeth Warren also challenged Bessent on affordability issues, and his response drew significant attention.

Rather than answering the question, Bessent shifted the focus. He said the administration remains “undeterred” in its mission of “reshoring American factories” and eliminating “massive trade imbalances,” calling that the “big story.” Bessent has also been in the news recently for other unexpected reasons, including his viral TikTok appearance with Nicki Minaj.

This left the specific question about $134 billion in collected tariff revenue unanswered. With the matter now in the hands of a lower court, there is still no clear timeline or commitment from the administration on what happens to that money. For the businesses and consumers who paid those tariffs, the uncertainty continues as they wait for a court to decide what comes next.