FedEx has sued the United States government for a “full refund” of the money it paid for tariffs unilaterally imposed in 2025 by President Donald Trump. This comes a week after the US Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs were illegal.
“Plaintiffs seek for themselves a full refund from Defendants of all International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) duties Plaintiffs have paid to the United States,” FedEx Express and its associated company FedEx Logistics said in the new lawsuit.
In September 2025, the express delivery and shipping giant said it expected to take a USD1 billion hit to its fiscal year 2026 earnings because of US trade policies, not all of which involved the tariffs issued under the IEEPA.
“While the Supreme Court did not address the issue of refunds, FedEx has taken necessary action to protect the company’s rights as an importer of record to seek duty refunds from US Customs and Border Protection. At this time, however, no refund process has been established by regulators or the courts,” said FedEx in a statement on its website.
Preliminary figures say that the US government could owe over USD175 billion in refunds to importers, after the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision last week that the tariffs were illegal. Other companies are expected to sue, following in the footsteps of FedEx.
