Sen. Susan Collins (R) sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, urging them to resume trade negotiations with Canada.
The White House announced last month that the United States would impose a new 50 percent tariff on roughly $20 billion in Canadian products amid the continued breakdown in trade negotiations.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Saturday that Canada is “at war” with the United States over trade.
While in Brewer last week, Vice President J.D. Vance defended the U.S. tariffs, saying America is “going to fight back against unfair trade practices, whether it’s coming from China or Canada.”
In her letter, Sen. Collins raised concerns about the expected impact of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on Maine businesses.
“The new 50 percent tariffs imposed by the Administration on certain Canadian imports and the retaliatory tariffs announced by the Canadian government will lead to higher costs, risk, and uncertainty for Maine families, small and large businesses, and our communities,” Sen. Collins wrote.
“For Mainers, commerce with Canada is a regular occurrence. Maine borders only one state, but shares a 611-mile border with Canada,” Collins said. “The consequences of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs are severe for Maine businesses, including our heritage industries.”
Collins then detailed the tariffs’ specific economic impact on Maine’s major industries, including forest products.
“Approximately $170 million worth of goods would be subject to the announced Canadian tariffs, with roughly 62 percent coming from the forest products sector,” she said. “Nearly 90 percent of Maine is covered by forest. This economic sector supports approximately 30,000 jobs and contributes more than $8 billion to the state’s economy.”
“Two of Maine’s paper mills, which are the largest employers in their towns, have already contacted me about the crushing increased costs that they will incur and the potential impact on their employment levels,” she added.
[RELATED: Susan Collins Applauds Canada’s Decision to Exclude Maine Lobster from Retaliatory Tariffs]
Collins then discussed the Canadian government’s decision to exclude seafood, including lobster, from its retaliatory tariffs.
Although Canada’s retaliatory tariffs cover about $20 billion in U.S. products, Canada’s finance ministry announced in a post on X that seafood would be removed from the list after initially saying the $300 million trade sector would be affected.
“I appreciate that the Canadian government has revised its initial announcement and removed seafood and fish products, including lobster, from its plan,” she said. “This would have resulted in more than $200 million in tariffs on Maine’s lobster industry, with impacts felt all throughout the supply chain.”
Collins also emphasized the negative impact the tariffs are expected to have this winter.
“The tariffs will also impose significant hardships on Maine communities. For example, Maine municipalities rely on road salt from Canada to keep roads safe from snow and ice in the winter,” she wrote. “Frenchville, a very small town on the Canadian border, will have to pay $10,000 more for road salt as a result of the new tariffs.”
“Maine’s economy is uniquely intertwined with Canada, and the consequences of an escalating trade dispute will be felt by American families, businesses, workers, and communities across the state,” Collins concluded. “Thousands of American jobs and businesses across a variety of sectors are at risk. I urge the Administration to work urgently toward a negotiated resolution with Canada that removes the recently implemented American tariffs and prevents the Canadian tariffs from taking effect.”
Maybe Canada should resume the trade talks, they were the ones who walked away.
Meanwhile ….Troy is going to go grab a couple of six packs and he and one of his cousins are gonna go park their truck sideways across a dirt road .
This clown will never agree to a debate with Collins .
He lacks the mental horsepower to get into an educated discussion about anything except beer and acting like a tough guy .