The judge urges the Trump administration to withdraw the appeal, stating that the appeal involves $11.4 billion in IEEPA tariff refunds.

A judge urged the Trump administration to withdraw its appeal of an order requiring the full refund of $16.6 billion in tariffs overturned by the US Supreme Court. The judge said that the appeal is unnecessary and will only further delay the time for importers to receive their refunds. The US Customs and Border Protection has been processing refund applications through a new online portal for over a month, but there is controversy over how to handle tariff payments that the government considers final. The government argues that without court orders for each affected importer, they cannot refund the funds. At a hearing on Tuesday at the US International Trade Court, a customs official confirmed for the first time that the disputed amount is approximately $11.4 billion. A Department of Justice lawyer then stated that the amount is approximately $10 billion, suggesting that the dispute is limited in scope. "Even I think that's real money," Judge Richard Eaton retorted in a crowded Manhattan courtroom, prompting laughter.