Illinois Governor Pritzker Demands $8.6 Billion Trump Tariff Refund After White House Attacks Blue State Governor

Governor Pritzker Claps Back at Trump After President Brags About Raising Tariffs

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker turned the tables on President Donald Trump after the president bragged about raising tariffs — even after those tariffs were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court.

Pritzker demanded that Trump cut a check for $8,679,261,600 that the Trump administration owes Illinoisans from his last round of illegal tariffs. The request came after Trump took to social media to promote his no tax on tips policy while threatening future tariff hikes.

"You pay no tariffs if you come here," Trump said at a Las Vegas event. "If you don't come here, you pay a lot of tariffs, and we're raising those tariffs very soon. Not on you, it's on people from the outside that don't build their plants here."

Pritzker responded with a direct message on X. "Meanwhile, you still owe Illinoisans $8,679,261,600 from your last round of illegal tariffs," he wrote. "Cut the check, @realdonaldtrump."

The White House quickly attacked Pritzker for his comments. White House spokesperson Kush Desai told reporters that the immense weight of Illinois's sky-high taxes and regulations is matched only by JB Pritzker's own personal bloat. The spokesperson added that if Pritzker really cared about delivering economic relief for Illinois, he should start with his own state government instead of chasing another stupid headline.

Supreme Court Ruling Struck Down Trump Tariffs

The legal basis for Pritzker's demand goes back to last year when Trump unveiled a flurry of steep tariffs at a Liberation Day event at the White House in April. The market-crashing levies sent markets spiraling and many voters remained rankled by what they called the Liberation Day tariffs.

In February, however, the Supreme Court struck down those tariffs in a 6-3 ruling. The court found that Trump exceeded the powers given to him by Congress under a 1977 law. Trump had used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify his tariffs.

The law gives the president authority to exercise various economic powers to deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat to national security. But the Supreme Court rejected that justification in its ruling.

"We claim no special competence in matters of economics or foreign affairs. We claim only, as we must, the limited role assigned to us by Article III of the Constitution. Fulfilling that role, we hold that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs," Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the landmark decision.

Tariff Refund Portal Opens Next Week

The Trump administration is set to launch a tariff refund portal next week to comply with the high court's order. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will boot up the portal, known as CAPE for Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, so companies can submit claims for tariff refunds.

CBP confirmed in a filing that CAPE will open for refund applications on April 20. The government could owe businesses up to $175 billion after the Supreme Court ruled in February that Trump had illegally issued tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Since the landmark decision, thousands of lawsuits have been filed with the Court of International Trade seeking tariff refunds. As of April 9, more than 56,000 U.S. importers had registered to receive refunds according to CBP.

Burden Falls on Importers to Collect Refunds

Though the refund portal offers a mechanism for businesses to seek compensation, it places the onus for obtaining refunds on U.S. importers. Trade attorneys told CBS News that the system limits refund applications to unliquidated tariffs and tariffs finalized by CBP within the past 80 days.

That accounts for roughly 63 percent of all IEEPA duties. The remaining 37 percent of entries that have already been liquidated or are being protested are excluded from the initial deployment.

"It's amazing that CBP has been cooperative as they've been," attorney Lizbeth Levinson told CBS News. Levinson is co-chair of the international trade practice group at Fox Rothschild. "But one thing has been clear from the beginning — that customs is putting the burden on the importer. Customs is not figuring it out. It's up to each individual importer."

The Main Street Alliance, a national network of 30,000 small businesses, said the portal's launch marks an important milestone after firms fought for refunds. The group's executive director Richard Trent issued a statement on Thursday.

"This is progress, but it's not yet justice," Trent said. "Small business owners should not have to jump through hoops to get back money they never should have had to pay. We need a refund process that is simple, accessible, and fast."

Only the importer of record is entitled to money back according to Levinson. Consumers who were hit with higher costs on an imported product are not eligible to submit claims for a tariff refund.

The system also requires businesses to opt in for refunds and wait for CBP to process and approve their claims. These are absolutely not automatic refunds, Levinson said. You have to jump through hoops, even though customs should have taken it upon themselves to do automatic refunds. They have all the information — they know who paid IEEPA duties and how to get in touch with people.

Refunds Could Take Months

CBP has said it will issue tariff refunds for valid claims within 60 to 90 days of approving them. But it could take longer if claims contain errors or inaccuracies that require fixing.

Manders noted that it's not uncommon for customs brokers to make mistakes in paperwork by applying the wrong tariff codes to a given import. The big message is that you have to clean up your act before you ask for a refund, Manders said. Assuming everything goes well, you'll probably see the 63 percent of refunds potentially in months, while the other 37 percent could take years.

Some importers may decide that the hassle of collecting and submitting paperwork for a tariff refund isn't worth the effort, especially without a guarantee they'll be made whole anytime soon. Those businesses have an alternative. Some hedge funds and financial services firms are buying businesses' tariff refund claims.

Those businesses can sell their claim now, get the money instantly and be done with it. This route could appeal to anyone who needs cash now, because you know you will get your money in weeks, instead of months.

Illinois Governor Among Those Seeking Refunds

Pritzker's $8.6 billion demand likely includes refunds for Illinois businesses that paid IEEPA tariffs. The state is a major hub for manufacturing and imports, making it particularly affected by tariff costs.

Rick Woldenberg, CEO of educational toy company Learning Resources, estimates the U.S. government owes his business up to $12 million in refunds for tariffs the company paid. It was his company's 2025 lawsuit that the Supreme Court ruled on in striking down the Trump administration's use of IEEPA to impose tariffs.

Woldenberg told CBS News he plans to be first in line when the refund portal opens next week, although he would've preferred that the government automatically reimburse businesses. Most people have to wait months to get their money back, Woldenberg said.

Timeline of Events

• April 2025: Trump unveils steep tariffs at a Liberation Day event at the White House
• February 2026: Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffs in a 6-3 ruling
• April 18, 2026: President Trump promotes no tax on tips policy while threatening tariff hikes
• April 18, 2026: Governor Pritzker demands $8.6 billion refund check from Trump
• April 18, 2026: White House attacks Pritzker for comments
• April 20, 2026: Tariff refund portal CAPE opens for applications

What Importers Need to Know

Two types of parties can use CAPE to apply for tariff refunds. These include businesses that paid IEEPA tariffs and customs brokers that paid duties on an importer's behalf.

Only the so-called importer of record is entitled to money back. For example, consumers who were hit with higher costs on an imported product are not eligible to submit claims for a tariff refund.

The portal will initially accept requests for estimated tariffs along with those finalized by CBP within the past 80 days. That accounts for roughly 63 percent of all IEEPA duties according to Sanne Manders, president of Flexport, a global trade and logistics company that helps businesses estimate the size of their refunds.

The remaining 37 percent of entries that have already been liquidated or are being protested are excluded from the initial deployment. A lot is still unclear about what the process will be for those remaining cases, Manders said.

April 20 is when things are going to start to hit the fan, Adam Hanover told CBS News. Adam Hanover is managing director of restructuring and dispute resolution at CohnReznick Advisory. I am still not sold that the system is going to work.

On paper this all looks pretty good, but is this system really going to operate as advertised, Blake Harden asked. Blake Harden is an Ernst Young trade policy expert. Time will tell how effective the refund portal is.

Some importers may decide that the hassle of collecting and submitting paperwork for a tariff refund isn't worth the effort, especially without a guarantee they'll be made whole anytime soon. Those businesses have an alternative. Some hedge funds and financial services firms are buying businesses' tariff refund claims.

Those businesses can sell their claim now, get the money instantly and be done with it. This route could appeal to anyone who needs cash now, because you know you will get your money in weeks, instead of months.