The U.S. will issue tariff exemptions on several categories of Canadian imports, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Friday.
The Republican incumbent’s announcement came as voters have already started casting ballots in the pivotal Maine Senate race, which has emerged as one of the most competitive contests 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 top U.S. economic partner. Many of those tariffs have put strain on businesses in Maine, which buys more from Canada than any other foreign country.
Collins, whose Democratic opponent Troy Jackson has worked to tie her to Trump’s unpopular tariffs, has touted her efforts to push back on the president’s protectionist trade policies.
In Friday’s press release announcing the new tariff exemptions, Collins said she has asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to lower Trump’s import duties.
“In my repeated conversations with Ambassador Greer, Secretary Lutnick, and other senior Administration officials, I have asked for tariff relief for these important products and stressed the burdens additional costs impose on Maine businesses and families,” Collins said in a statement included in the release.
“I will continue working directly with Administration officials to seek additional relief from tariffs and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbor, ally and largest trading partner.”
The latest exemptions apply to tariffs on nine product categories, including corrugated paper, plastic boxes and packing bags, refrigeration equipment, multiple forms of machinery and seaweed and algae products.
“These producers are a vital part of our state’s economy and support our rural and coastal communities,” Collins said in Friday’s statement. “Many of our farmers and growers rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring 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 exemptions, which were first reported earlier Friday afternoon by The Wall Street Journal.
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