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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sends bill for $8.68 billion refund to Trump after Supreme Court tariffs ruling

By Sara Tenenbaum
February 20, 2026 / 5:09 PM CST / CBS Chicago
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Gov. JB Pritzker is demanding President Trump refund the state of Illinois more than $8 billion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his sweeping reciprocal tariffs Friday.

The court ruled 6-3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.

Now businesses are pressing the Trump administration to issue tariff refunds, and Gov. Pritzker has joined in their call.

In a letter to Mr. Trump that Pritzker shared publicly, he wrote, "Your tariff taxes wreaked havoc on farmers, enraged our allies, and sent grocery prices through the roof. This morning, your hand-picked Supreme Court Justices notified you that they are also unconstitutional.

"On behalf of the people of Illinois, I demand a refund of $1,700 for every family in Illinois. There are 5,105,448 households in my state, bringing the total damages you owe to $8,679,261,600."

"This letter and the attached invoice stand as an official notice that compensation is owed to the people of Illinois, and if you do not comply, we will pursue further action."


Pritzker also released an invoice already marked "Past Due – Delinquent" and with a note, "Illinois families paid the price for illegal tariffs – at the grocery store, at the hardware store, and around the kitchen table. Tariffs are taxes and working families were the ones who aid them."