CBP says it can't comply with refund order • Hacker News Board

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#21

Post by PaulDavisThe1st » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:17 PM UTC

nine_zeros wrote: post #13

tedd4u wrote: post #8

CIT Judge Eaton: “Customs knows how to do this,” Eaton said during a court hearing on Wednesday. “They do it every day. They liquidate entries and make refunds.”

"Lies" is a standard operating procedure under this administration. The court should just call the bluff by passing an order "Every CBP official and their hierarchy up to the President will be fined $1 million/day until the tariffs have been refunded."

SCOTUS has already given the President complete immunity for anything done as part of an "official act", so that's not going to fly (even if it should).

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#22

Post by remarkEon » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:17 PM UTC

Corporate welfare at its finest.

We spent this whole time up until now exclaiming that it was actually the consumer who pays the tariffs, and now it’s the corporation that gets a “refund”.

That’s my money, assholes, give it back to me.

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#23

Post by otterley » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:20 PM UTC

Thankfully we have the actual court filing to refer to get the full picture, in which CBP says they are working on a way to process refunds more efficiently than they are able to today, and they aim to do so within 45 days: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cit.193...

See paragraphs 27-29.

Even the full text of the article says this.

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#24

Post by fortran77 » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:21 PM UTC

Analemma_ wrote: post #20

gigatexal wrote: post #11

Tough. They gotta pay it. Send an email to the treasury and pull from the billions stolen from importers and pay it back. Can I use this same argument to avoid paying my taxes because I spent all my income and didn’t set anything aside? No. Then?

You absolutely can, if you're rich. Rich people settle their tax debts with the IRS for pennies on the dollar all the time, with the threat of dragging the government into years of expensive litigation if the offer isn't accepted. You and I, of course, don't have this option.

Poor people do this much more often than rich people.

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#25

Post by JumpCrisscross » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:23 PM UTC

quantified wrote: post #5

This is going to be such a continued mess. Refund it to the companies that paid the tariffs, it's quite the windfall. Consumer refunds ain't gonna happen. Economically, under usual times, the best thing to do with it would be to pay off some national debt with it, the deficit is out of control. But with $38T of debt, nothing really makes a dent.

> Consumer refunds ain't gonna happen

If you actually paid the tariff you’re eligible. I got some surprise bills that I paid and didn’t sell off—I’m looking forward to being refunded.

Put another way, consumers who bought from an American retailer are being punished relative to those who paid an overseas seller.

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#26

Post by gzread » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #21

nine_zeros wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Lies" is a standard operating procedure under this administration. The court should just call the bluff by passing an order "Every CBP official and their hierarchy up to the President will be fined $1 million/day until the tariffs have been refunded."

SCOTUS has already given the President complete immunity for anything done as part of an "official act", so that's not going to fly (even if it should).

That's only for crimes, isn't it? Ans it doesn't apply to anyone who isn't the president.

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#27

Post by gzread » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:26 PM UTC

0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #15

quantified wrote: post #5

This is going to be such a continued mess. Refund it to the companies that paid the tariffs, it's quite the windfall. Consumer refunds ain't gonna happen. Economically, under usual times, the best thing to do with it would be to pay off some national debt with it, the deficit is out of control. But with $38T of debt, nothing really makes a dent.

Not passing another huge tax cut would go a long way towards helping the debt problem.

Or just running the economy into the ground until it doesn't matter how many dollars anyone owes anyone because there's nothing you can buy with them.

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#28

Post by dylan604 » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:28 PM UTC

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #21

nine_zeros wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Lies" is a standard operating procedure under this administration. The court should just call the bluff by passing an order "Every CBP official and their hierarchy up to the President will be fined $1 million/day until the tariffs have been refunded."

SCOTUS has already given the President complete immunity for anything done as part of an "official act", so that's not going to fly (even if it should).

Isn't it only immunity as long as Congress is controlled by the same party so that no impeachment/conviction? Otherwise, Congress technically still has that ability. That's also what Trump was screaming the whole time that Congress is the only way to hold POTUS accountable.

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#29

Post by JKCalhoun » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:31 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #25

quantified wrote: post #5

This is going to be such a continued mess. Refund it to the companies that paid the tariffs, it's quite the windfall. Consumer refunds ain't gonna happen. Economically, under usual times, the best thing to do with it would be to pay off some national debt with it, the deficit is out of control. But with $38T of debt, nothing really makes a dent.

> Consumer refunds ain't gonna happen If you actually paid the tariff you’re eligible. I got some surprise bills that I paid and didn’t sell off—I’m looking forward to being refunded. Put another way, consumers who bought from an American retailer are being punished relative to those who paid an overseas seller.

Just got hit for $60 today from JLCPCB.

I definitely have the receipts…

Re: CBP says it can't comply with refund order

#30

Post by adampunk » Fri, Mar 06, 2026, 5:33 PM UTC

otterley wrote: post #23

Thankfully we have the actual court filing to refer to get the full picture, in which CBP says they are working on a way to process refunds more efficiently than they are able to today, and they aim to do so within 45 days: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cit.193... See paragraphs 27-29. Even the full text of the article says this.

I don’t think the reporter is being lazy. I think you’re trying to muddy the situation.

Who benefits from pushing your view here? Who’s better off now that we’re all quieted down about this little bout of lawlessness?

Why don’t you just write “We didn’t see all the video and we need more context.”?