Canada’s aircraft maker has received support from Republican lawmakers for its economic impact record.
Published September 9, 2026
Canadian-based aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has announced it will hire 500 new workers in the United States, despite President Donald Trump’s threats to limit the company over a lack of a substantial presence in the country.
“We are actively recruiting for 500 open positions in the United States,” the company said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera on Wednesday. “These consist of net new positions, as well as planned retirements and regular turnover in our employment base of more than 3,500 people.”
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Bombardier said the job openings include positions at a new service center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, scheduled to open in mid-November.
President Trump criticized the Canadian company on Monday and threatened to block sales of its products in the United States. “If they want our market, they have to build here and stop treating America like a ‘piggy bank,'” he wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that White House officials said the Trump administration was preparing options and actions regarding Bombardier.
Bombardier said in a statement to Al Jazeera on Tuesday that it already employs 3,500 people in the United States, noting that it manufactures products domestically, including wings made in Texas and flight control parts made in California. Aside from the upcoming Fort Wayne service center, the company has existing service centers in five other states and spends $2.5 billion annually on suppliers, the company said.
Trump’s own Republican lawmakers have also come out in defense of Bombardier. Kansas Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, who represent the state where Bombardier is headquartered, pushed back against President Trump’s criticism of the company.
On Tuesday, Marshall wrote to X that he had expressed his concerns to the Trump administration about the possible impact on jobs in the state. “I will continue to work to ensure that Bombardier’s manufacturing operations not only remain in Kansas, but continue to grow and create American jobs,” Moran wrote in Monday’s X.
President Trump’s remarks come as trade tensions between the United States and Canada intensify. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs went into effect early Tuesday, impacting hundreds of U.S. products worth $20 billion, after the White House introduced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods on Aug. 22.
