USTR Greer refuses to commit to refunding illegal tariffs, Warren presses

Trump Tariff Negotiator Evades Questions on Consumer Reimbursements

WASHINGTON — American families are unlikely to see refunds for the money lost under President Donald Trump's tariff plan, according to testimony before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer deflected repeated attempts by lawmakers to secure a commitment that the Trump administration would return revenue collected from American consumers since the "Liberation Day" tariffs were launched in April 2025.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) pressed Greer directly:

"The question I'm asking the administration: Are you going to give money back to the American people who paid more? What the data shows is that the American people picked up about 95 percent of the costs of those Trump tariffs."

Warren cited a February 2026 fact sheet from the Joint Economic Committee Minority, estimating that Trump's tariffs had cost American families more than $1,700 each over the course of his second term.

"I just want to know if you even have the slightest effort—are making even the slightest effort—to try and get some of that money back into the pockets of American families," Warren continued. "Or does that just not matter to the Trump administration?"

Greer responded by shifting responsibility to foreign importers and the Biden administration's budgeting:

"So what happened is the foreign and domestic importers, right? Who were buying foreign goods, not goods from American workers, foreign goods made by foreign workers who had to pay a fee on those foreign goods, those foreign importers … they can file, they had to pay the tariff, they can get the tariff back."

Warren dismissed the response, accusing the administration of indifference:

"I take that what you're saying … is that the Trump administration just doesn't care. [The administration] isn't even lifting a finger to try and get one nickel of the money that was collected from consumers back into the pockets of consumers."

She further accused the White House of planning to impose additional tariffs under what she called an "obscure law from the 1930s."

Warren then asked: "Ambassador Greer, if the Supreme Court strikes down your next round of tariffs, do you have a plan in place on how to return the money that American consumers pay under those tariffs?"

Greer repeated his earlier response, stating that U.S. Customs had already outlined how foreign manufacturers could recoup their losses.

Background: The Supreme Court ruled Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs illegal in February, disrupting both the administration's economic strategy and its foreign policy agenda. Despite the ruling, the president announced new plans to impose additional global levies within days.

Independent Autopsy Raises Questions in Death of Mississippi College Student

An independent autopsy has raised new questions surrounding the death of Nolan Wells, a Black college freshman who went missing on July 4 near Mississippi's Horn Island.

Key details:

• Wells was attending a boat party with approximately 300 young people
• According to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, Wells stayed behind on the island with a young woman while his friends departed, expecting another ride home
• His friends returned with his phone and keys, but not Wells
• His body was discovered two days later

Sheriff Ledbetter announced there was likely no foul play before completing an official autopsy, prompting civil rights lawyer Ben Crump to intervene. Crump called for an independent autopsy, funded by former NFL quarterback and activist Colin Kaepernick, which was conducted on July 10.

Findings: The independent autopsy determined Wells's cause and manner of death as "undetermined" and did not rule out foul play. Notably, it showed "red discoloration" on the back of Wells's head, just above the start of his neck.