Costco Sues Trump Administration Seeking Tariff Refunds

Costco Wholesale filed suit against the Trump administration in the U.S. Court of International Trade in early December 2025, seeking a full refund of tariffs it has paid on imported goods and a block on further collection while a related Supreme Court case over the legality of the tariffs proceeds. The company said Customs and Border Protection had denied its request to extend a December 15 deadline after which some paid tariffs might no longer be eligible for refund even if the tariffs are ultimately struck down.

The suit is one of dozens filed by companies across industries, including Revlon, Bumble Bee, and Kawasaki, seeking to preserve their ability to recover tariff payments contingent on the outcome of pending Supreme Court litigation over the legal basis for the tariff program.

The case underscores that even large, price-sensitive retailers not typically inclined to challenge Republican economic policy have concluded that tariff costs have become a material financial burden rather than a manageable political inconvenience. The dispute is procedural, centered on refund eligibility deadlines, but it reflects broader private-sector unease about the legal durability of the administration's tariff program pending the Supreme Court's ruling.