IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act)

The 1977 emergency-powers statute used for the 2025-2026 fentanyl and "reciprocal" tariffs, struck down by the Supreme Court.

All glossary terms

Definition

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 grants the President authority to regulate economic transactions, including imports, in response to a declared national emergency. It was invoked in 2025 and 2026 as the legal basis for tariffs tied to the fentanyl emergency and for broader "reciprocal" tariffs on trading partners. On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled (No. 25-1248) that IEEPA did not authorize tariffs of that kind, striking the program down. Duties collected under IEEPA before the ruling opened a refund claim window for importers who paid them, subject to statutory filing deadlines.

Legal authority

50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.; struck down by the Supreme Court, No. 25-1248, decided February 20, 2026; collection ended per CBP CSMS #67834313.

Related terms

  • Section 122Balance-of-payments authority for a temporary, broad-based import surcharge, used after IEEPA was struck down.
  • Entry Date RuleDuty is set by the law in force on the date goods entered, not the date of the shipment, order, or lookup.

For a specific entry's rate, the free IEEPA Refund Estimator gives you the stacked, cited answer.