Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced Friday that the United States will waive tariffs on several categories of imports from Canada.
The Republican incumbent’s announcement comes as voters have already begun voting in the key Maine Senate race, which is emerging as one of the most hotly contested races of the midterm election cycle.
President Donald Trump has waged a trade war against Canada, resulting in heavy tariffs on a wide range of goods imported from the United States’ largest economic partner. Many of these tariffs fall on businesses in Maine, which buys more goods from Canada than from any other country.
Collins has been touting his efforts to push back on the president’s protectionist trade policies, with Democratic opponent Troy Jackson trying to tie him to Trump’s unpopular tariffs.
In a press release Friday announcing the new tariff exemptions, Collins said he had asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Grier and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to reduce President Trump’s import tariffs.
“In repeated conversations with Ambassador Greer, Secretary Lutnick, and other administration officials, we have sought tariff relief on these critical items and emphasized the burden these additional costs will place on Maine businesses and families,” Collins said in a statement included in the release.
“I will continue to work directly with administration officials to seek additional tariff relief and promote a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbor, ally, and largest trading partner.”
The latest exemption applies to duties on nine product categories, including cardboard, plastic boxes and packaging bags, refrigeration equipment, various forms of machinery, seaweed and algae products.
“These producers are an important part of our state’s economy and support rural and coastal communities,” Collins said in a statement Friday. “Many of our farmers and producers rely on specialized Canadian equipment, packaging materials and other products that are either not available from U.S. suppliers or cannot be replaced without significant expense.”
The White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the tariff exemption, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal early Friday afternoon.
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