US Trade Rep Greer evades question on reimbursing American families for illegal tariffs

Trump Trade Ambassador Dodges Key Question on Tariff Reimbursements

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer faced sharp questioning from the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday over whether the Trump administration plans to reimburse American families for costs incurred under President Donald Trump's tariff plan.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) pressed Greer on returning the money collected from American consumers since Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs took effect in April 2025.

"The question I'm asking the administration: Are you going to give money back to the American people who paid more?" Warren asked. "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, which estimated 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," she continued. "Or does that just not matter to the Trump administration?"

Greer responded by shifting responsibility to foreign and domestic importers and the Biden administration's budgeting practices.

"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," Greer said.

Warren accused the administration of indifference. "I take that what you're saying … is that the Trump administration just doesn't care," she said. "[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 an "obscure law from the 1930s."

"Here's my question: 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?" she asked.

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

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.

Related: Trump Advisers Scramble to Talk Him Out of More Disastrous Tariffs

Independent Autopsy Raises Questions in Death of Mississippi College Student

An independent autopsy report has raised new questions surrounding the death of Nolan Wells, a Black college freshman who went missing on July 4.

Wells disappeared in the water near Mississippi's Horn Island while attending a boat party with approximately 300 other young people. According to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, Wells remained on the island with a young woman after his friends left, expecting a ride home from someone else. His friends returned with his phone and keys, but not him. His body was found two days later.

Ledbetter announced that foul play was unlikely before completing an official autopsy, prompting civil rights lawyer Ben Crump to call for an independent examination. The independent autopsy, paid for by former NFL quarterback and activist Colin Kaepernick, was conducted on July 10.

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