Donald Trump dropped some U.S. tariffs on Canada on Friday to “better serve the public interest,” the White House said, handing victory to Susan Collins, Maine’s embattled Republican senator, as she faces a tight re-election campaign that will help determine whether Democrats can overturn control of Congress.
Collins announced the exemptions would apply to nine agricultural products, including blueberries, potatoes, apples and seaweed. She added that many of the state’s farmers rely on specialized equipment and materials from across the border that are “not available from U.S. suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense.”
“In my repeated conversations with Ambassador Greer, Secretary Lutnick, and other senior Administration officials, I have requested tariff relief for these important products, and I will continue to work directly with Administration officials to seek additional relief and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbor, ally, and largest trading partner,” she wrote.
The White House also clarified that certain processing equipment – such as plywood sheets, packaging boxes, paper products and some machinery – would be removed from its tariffs. These materials can be crucial for Maine businesses operating near the border.
“President Trump is further refining the scope of the July 20 and September 8 measures to better serve the public interest and ensure that these measures continue to effectively offset the burden or disadvantage to U.S. trade due to Canada’s discriminatory actions,” the White House said in a press release.
Collins, who has served in the Senate for nearly 30 years, is running for reelection against Troy Jackson, a Democrat who served in the Maine state Senate and is a former logger. The race is crucial to the Democratic Party’s hopes of flipping control of the chamber and is so far considered a toss-up.
The trade war between Canada and Maine has struck a chord in the state, which relies heavily on trade with Canada. Many of the most entrenched industries in the state’s history — like logging, lobstering and fishing — are expected to be hit by Trump’s tariff announcements this year.
Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said U.S. tariffs were hurting U.S. and Canadian households. He added that auto exports to the United States have so far fallen by 10 percent and U.S. exports to Canada have fallen by more than 20 percent.
“The U.S. tariffs have upended a trade agreement that has existed for decades,” Carney said. “They have increased costs for American families while disadvantaging Ontario workers and businesses and plunging them into a cloud of uncertainty. »
After Trump imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods, starting August 22, Canada announced its own retaliatory tariffs, ranging from 15% to 50% on $20 billion worth of U.S. goods. Canada later removed its tariffs on American seafood, which particularly helped Maine’s fisheries.
Maine is considered a purple state, and many within the state – including Collins – consider themselves to have an independent leaning. Collins has often sought to distance himself from Trump, particularly regarding his trade policies, and has broken with his party more than any other Republican senator since Trump took office, according to a New York Times analysis of his voting record.
But his efforts to vote against Trump’s policies have rarely succeeded so far in his second term, according to the analysis.
Jackson has often used this line of attack since replacing Graham Platner on the Democratic ticket. During a televised debate earlier this month, Jackson also highlighted Collins’ crucial vote to confirm conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The court later overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Tonight is about who you stand with when it counts,” Jackson said in his opening statement.
Democrats argued that the decision to remove some Canadian tariffs was an admission from the White House that Trump’s policies were unpopular.
Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, called the move “a desperate 11th-hour attempt to save Susan Collins’ political career.”
“The only way to get Trump to change course,” he said, “is for Americans to send the message that his sabotage of the American economy must stop, along with every politician who has supported his agenda.” »
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