LA Port leaders expect uptick in imports after Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs

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The reaction: On Friday’s episode of LAist’s AirTalk, Port of L.A. executive director Gene Seroka said he’s expecting “an uptick in cargo” following the court ruling. “Right now, American executives are telling me that they're on the phone and communicating with their counterparts representing manufacturers in Asia to see how much product they can get, how quickly it can be ready, and then when it can be shipped over to avoid these tariffs,” Seroka said.

The context: U.S. importers have already paid about $133 billion under tariffs imposed by the Trump administration through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The Supreme Court ruled this act does not give Trump the authority to impose such broad tariffs. Since Trump put the tariffs in place last April, Seroka said the Port of L.A. has seen “a roller coaster of a year.”

“When that policy was softened and tariffs came down, we had a record July, our best month in the history of the Port of Los Angeles,” Seroka said. “That set the tone for the balance of the year. It was ups and downs based on more than 110 announcements emanating from Washington on trade policy and tariffs.”

What will this mean for consumers? It’s unclear if importers will ever be refunded the tariffs they’ve already paid. Kevin Klowden, chief global strategist for the Milken Institute, said there isn’t an obvious mechanism in place to get that money back to companies. As for consumers, the Tax Foundation estimates the average U.S. household has faced about $1,300 in increased costs due to the tariffs. Klowden says it’s unlikely consumers will ever get a direct refund. “If the tariffs come in at a lower threshold under the other agreements, under the other legislation that the government is using, then we might see some prices reduce,” he said.