U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shared recently released a highly commendable milestone. They’ve raked in more than half a billion dollars from the new Trump-admin tariffs so far. The revenue generated from these tariffs, which began on April 5, 2023, is significantly lower than the $2 billion per day claimed by President Donald Trump. This difference is concerning, given the known negative economic effects that these tariffs have had on the U.S. economy.
Given that recently average daily CBP collection of tariffs is $250 million. The most recent data released by the Treasury Department offers further validation of this number. It makes clear that the daily deposit statement figure for “Customs and Certain Excise Tax” is $305 million. This new data indicates that collections remain healthy though not on pace with Trump’s overly sanguine forecasts.
The tariffs were enacted as part of a broader strategy to impose steep duties on numerous countries, particularly targeting China. These tariffs were specifically levied against Chinese goods. This action further indicates its continuing desire to use tariffs as a cudgel in bilateral trade negotiations. According to the CBP’s numbers, the revenue this generates doesn’t come close to matching the administration’s previous estimates.
During the implementation of these tariffs, a 10-hour glitch in the finance system hindered U.S. importers from entering an exemption code for shipments already in transit. This represented a temporary setback indeed. CBP was quick to assure that its daily revenue stream of $250 million on average was never disrupted.
“Even during the brief glitch, CBP’s average $250 million/day revenue stream remained uninterrupted,” – CBP
The agency further stated, “Since April 5, CBP has collected over $500 million under the new reciprocal tariffs, contributing to more than $21 billion in total tariff revenue from 15 presidential trade actions implemented since Jan 20, 2025.” This is all to point out that the revenue from the most recent round of tariffs is enormous. Even with that, it’s well short of what the administration hoped for.