The US is raking in record customs revenues in April
New Treasury data shows a surge in border tax earnings from tariffs, though they still fall short of some figures Trump’s been touting.
America is cashing in at the border like never before, powered by the first real wave of President Trump’s tariffs.
According to Treasury data through April 23, the US collected a record $15.6 billion in customs revenues this month — a 63% jump from March and the largest monthly haul ever recorded, even with a chunk of April still to come.
This month is likely only a preview of what’s to come. Due to the Treasury’s collection cycle, much of the April figure only reflects tariffs on March imports, per Bloomberg — chiefly the 25% duties on steel and aluminum that kicked in on March 12. What’s not yet showing in the April numbers are Trump’s 10% baseline tariffs on nearly all imports, effective April 9, meaning the numbers will almost certainly climb even higher in May.
Zooming out, though, the latest figures roughly translate to average border tax revenues of $919 million for each day that the Treasury’s reported in April — definitely way up from where they were, but not quite the $3 billion daily figure that Trump was touting at the start of last week.
It’s worth noting that the $15.6 billion figure also includes excise taxes (those levied on specific imported goods like fuel, alcohol, and tobacco), so the customs-only revenue is likely a bit lower. This will be available next month when the Monthly Treasury Statement for April is released.
