U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer walked into a trap of his own making during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday, claiming Trump’s tariffs were absorbed by foreign companies rather than American consumers, moments after the existence of consumer tariff refunds had already proven otherwise.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse opened with a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, pressing Greer on environmental enforcement in trade deals and getting a straightforward commitment that countries should meet baseline environmental standards as a condition of trade.
“Continue to raise your game,” Whitehouse said, before pivoting to the issue he really came to address.
Whitehouse raised two concerns about the administration’s tariff refund process.
First, the Rhode Island Democrat argued that large corporations with dedicated legal and financial staff have a significant advantage in navigating the CBP refund portal over small businesses that got hit just as hard by the tariffs.
Second, he pointed out that even when refunds are issued, there is nothing stopping corporations from pocketing the money rather than passing it back to the consumers who actually absorbed the cost in the first place.
“If you’re a giant corporation and you have an enormous staff that is capable of being tasked to go and pursue tariff refunds through CBP, great,” Whitehouse said. “If you’re a small business that got whacked by a tariff, it’s not easy.”
Greer pushed back, arguing the refund portal has a “relatively straightforward user interface” and then made the claim that would cost him.
“I don’t concede that the tariffs went through to consumers,” he said. “A lot of them were eaten by foreign companies.”
Whitehouse cut him off before he could finish.
“If in fact it’s not paid by the American side, it would make no sense to be making refunds,” he said. “Your behavior with tariff refunds proves the point that it’s not just paid by foreigners, or foreign governments, or China, or whomever.”
Whitehouse closed with a blunt warning.
“Americans are having a real cost problem,” he said. “I would urge you, and I think it’s in your interest as an administration, try to help reduce the burden on American consumers by reducing the level of inordinate tariff assessments, so good luck with that.”
