President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to lift tariffs on some Canadian imports at the end of the month.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday afternoon that the change is to help Sen. Susan Collins’ reelection bid. Collins’ office and the White House separately confirmed the changes to the tariffs shortly after.
The change is aimed at benefiting the blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed industries, according to a statement from Collins’ office.
It played into the dueling themes of Collins’ toss-up race with Democrat Troy Jackson. She has built her campaign around her ability to negotiate with those around the Republican president while highlighting her disagreements with him on tariffs and other major issues. Jackson has sought to tie her to the unpopular Trump in a Democratic-leaning state.
Collins’ statement said she had stressed the burdens of high costs on Maine businesses and families to key members of the Trump administration.
“I will continue working directly with [federal] officials to seek additional relief from tariffs and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbor, ally, and largest trading partner,” she said.
The tariff exemptions would apply to packaging materials such as cardboard boxes, plastic crates, bags and film; refrigeration and the machinery used to clean, sort, fill, seal, label and wrap farm and food products; and edible seaweed and algae.
Trump imposed tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods in August after trade talks collapsed. Canada answered with its own tariffs last month, though it backed down on a planned 25% levy on Maine lobster before they took effect.
Collins has voted several times to end Trump’s tariffs on Canada while lobbying for item-by-item relief. The administration exempted Canadian road salt and cement in September after she pressed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
“This is not China we are dealing with,” Collins said in August. “It is Canada, our best friend.”
At a debate last week, Collins cited those exemptions and one for pulp as proof her clout delivers for Maine. Jackson said he would not give her credit for pulling a few items off the tariff list “when we should have never had a list.”
Maine Democratic Party spokesperson Misha Linnehan said Trump knows Collins’ campaign “is in trouble because of her unyielding support for his disastrous agenda.”
“Now, he’s playing politics with our trade policy when Maine businesses and families are already reeling from the chaos of his trade wars,” Linnehan said.
The race is one of a handful that could decide control of the U.S. Senate. The most recent public poll, by Fox News, found the candidates tied at 49% with less than two weeks until Election Day.
Jackson, who was joined by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a rally in Portland on Thursday, has held a slight edge in other recent polls. But Collins trailed in every single one in 2020 before handily beating Democrat Sara Gideon.
