Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Wednesday said the Trump administration has underestimated how its escalating trade war with Canada is affecting American families and businesses, arguing that Washington views tariffs as a “macro issue” while their local economic impact is “considerable.”
Collins Says White House Underestimates Tariff Pain
“I think the administration has very much underestimated the impact on Maine families, on small manufacturers, on our agricultural products,” Collins said speaking to Politico. “And that’s what I’m trying my best to educate them about. They look at this issue as a macro issue. And in fact, the micro impact on a state like Maine is considerable.”
Collins said she has pressed Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to reopen negotiations with Canada. Her comments follow the collapse of U.S.-Canada trade talks, which triggered 50% U.S. tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian exports and Canadian retaliation on $20 billion of U.S. goods, Reuters reported.
Collins has repeatedly warned the tariffs will raise prices. After negotiations failed in August, she said, “If the Administration proceeds with these tariffs, they will increase costs for Maine families, as most businesses will have no choice but to pass on the tariffs to their customers through higher prices,” according to her Senate office.
Local Costs Drive Push For Exemptions
Her office says the state imports about $2 billion in non-petroleum Canadian goods annually. Collins also warned that roughly $170 million of state exports could face Canadian retaliation and urged Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to resume talks.
The administration has made some concessions. Collins said on Tuesday that Washington agreed to exempt road salt and cement after she highlighted local cost pressures, including one town facing $10,000 in additional road-salt expenses and a concrete business expecting $150,000 in monthly tariff costs.
Still, significant tariffs remain. Canada’s retaliatory measures took effect Sept. 8 across politically sensitive products including dairy, paper, steel and auto parts. Trump has also threatened additional auto tariffs on Canada.
Trade Fight Creates Wider Political Pressure
Collins has framed Canada differently from other trade rivals. “Canada is not China,” she said last month. “Canada is one of our closest allies and largest trading partners.” She added that continuing the tariffs “will harm Maine families, small businesses, municipalities, manufacturers, and farmers.”
The dispute has also become a political liability. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published earlier this month found 57% of Americans opposed additional tariffs on Canadian goods, while 68% favored compromise with Canada even if Washington did not get most of what it wanted. That opposition has intensified as the trade fight widened.
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