The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, stated that the government overstepped the emergency powers invoked by Trump to impose tariffs on the country's trading partners. "These illegal and senseless tariffs were nothing more than a tax on consumers, small businesses, and New York farmers, which is why I demand a full refund," the governor wrote in a statement. Hochul had announced in January a tariff reduction of $30 million to help the state's farmers, as over 80% of agrochemical imports and 70% of agricultural machinery imports come from countries that had tariffs of 10% or more, according to the statement. In doing so, the governor joins other Democratic governors who have asked the Trump administration for a tariff refund. The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, urged the government on Friday to issue refund checks "immediately" and with interest to American families and businesses affected by the duties. "It's time to pay the consequences, Donald. These tariffs were nothing more than an illegal appropriation of funds that raised prices and harmed working families so you could break lasting alliances and extort them," Newsom stated in a statement. Meanwhile, the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, demanded that Trump provide a tariff refund to thousands of families in his state that same day. "Basically (Trump) was taxing families and every dollar must be returned," he pointed out. On the corporate front, the National Federation of Retailers last week asked the Supreme Court to ensure a "smooth" process for the government to refund tariffs to U.S. importers. Other corporations, such as the American courier company FedEx, have sued or plan to sue to demand the "full refund" of tariffs from the government. According to economic media, FedEx is the first major company to sue Washington after the Supreme Court's ruling that invalidated the so-called "reciprocal" and other tariffs Trump imposed under IEEPA, but there are other firms, such as Costco, that have similar pending lawsuits before the ruling.
