Costco sues Trump administration over tariffs : NPR
A shopper pushes a cart toward the entrance of a Costco warehouse in Colorado.
David Zalubowski/AP
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David Zalubowski/AP
Costco is now one of the largest companies to sue the Trump administration over tariffs, hoping to get a refund if the Supreme Court rules the new import duties illegal.
The Supreme Court is weighing the future of Trump’s tariffs on almost all imports. The justices appeared skeptical of their legality during oral arguments last month. Lower courts had already found that Trump improperly used his emergency economic powers to set most of the new levies.
Dozens of companies across industries have filed lawsuits seeking refunds in case the Supreme Court rules Trump’s tariffs are illegal. The list includes makeup giant Revlon, canned goods maker Bumble Bee, and Kawasaki, which makes motorcycles and more. Now Costco has joined the queue.
“This is the first time we’ve seen big companies publicly burying their heads in the sand,” said Marc Busch, a business law expert at Georgetown University. For the most part, it’s small businesses that are leading the legal challenges to tariffs, he said, adding: “It’s nice to finally see heavyweights joining the fray.”
In its complaint filed with the United States Court of International Trade, Costco did not say how much it had already paid in customs duties. But the retail giant fears that even if the Supreme Court ultimately dismantles Trump’s tariff regime, it won’t be able to get all that money back.
Costco executives said in May that about a third of what they sold in the United States came from abroad, mostly non-food items.
NPR’s Scott Horsley contributed to this report.
