Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has a message for the Trump administration about its escalating trade war with Canada: you're looking at the wrong numbers.
Speaking to Politico on Wednesday, Collins said Washington views tariffs as a "macro issue" while the local economic damage is, in her words, "considerable."
"I think the administration has very much underestimated the impact on Maine families, on small manufacturers, on our agricultural products," she said. "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 says she has pressed Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to reopen negotiations with Canada. Her comments come after U.S.-Canada trade talks collapsed, triggering 50% U.S. tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian exports, with Canada retaliating against $20 billion of U.S. goods, according to Reuters.
This isn't a new concern for Collins. After negotiations failed in August, she warned, "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.
The Local Math Behind the Push for Exemptions
Her office says Maine 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 she urged Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to resume talks.
The administration has made some concessions. Collins said 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 in place. 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.
A Trade Fight With Growing Political Costs
Collins has consistently 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.
