What is IEEPA?

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is a federal law (50 U.S.C. §§ 1701-1707) that grants the President broad authority to regulate international commerce after declaring a national emergency related to an unusual and extraordinary threat to national security, foreign policy, or the economy. IEEPA has been used to impose sanctions, freeze assets, and — most recently — to impose emergency tariffs on imports. IEEPA tariffs are distinct from regular tariff adjustments because they can be imposed rapidly by executive action without the longer legislative process required for most trade measures.

IEEPA is the legal authority for the tariffs that the CAPE program addresses (HTS 9903.01 trafficking and 9903.02 reciprocal duties). When IEEPA tariff rates are reduced or eliminated, importers who overpaid are eligible for refunds through the CAPE portal. Tariffi identifies IEEPA-affected entries in your ES-003 data and calculates the overpayment based on rate changes. (Section 301 duties are a separate statute and are recovered through their own path — USTR exclusions, Post-Summary Correction, or a section 1514 protest — not through CAPE.)