Susan Collins Touts Canada Tariff Exemptions in Tight Maine Senate Race

Republican Senator Susan Collins announced Friday that U.S. tariffs will exempt nine categories of Canadian imports used by Maine agricultural businesses after she pressed the Trump administration for relief.

The breakthrough gives Collins a potentially valuable closing argument in one of the country's tightest Senate races, where Democrat Troy Jackson has used Trump's trade war with Canada to attack the Republican incumbent, and polling shows the candidates separated by little or nothing.

The exemptions cover packaging, refrigeration, and processing equipment, as well as certain seaweed products used by Maine blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers, potentially reducing costs for businesses that Collins says have limited alternatives to Canadian suppliers.

Collins said she pursued the exemptions through repeated discussions with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other administration officials. In announcing the move, Collins said many Maine agricultural producers depend on Canadian equipment, packaging and other supplies that are unavailable domestically or expensive to replace.

The timing gives Collins another opportunity to distance herself from an element of Trump’s economic agenda that has presented political problems in Maine. Collins has repeatedly opposed broad Canadian tariffs and previously urged the administration to reach a trade resolution with Canada, arguing that tariffs would hurt Maine families, municipalities, manufacturers and farmers.

Newsweek has reached out to the White House and the Collins and Jackson campaigns for comment.

What Canada Tariff Exemptions Did Susan Collins Announce?

The nine categories identified by Collins include:

• Corrugated paper or paperboard boxes
• Plastic boxes, crates and similar products
• Plastic packing bags and sacks
• Refrigeration and freezing equipment
• Machinery used to clean, sort or grade agricultural products
• Filling, sealing, closing and labeling machinery
• Packing and wrapping machinery
• Certain non-adhesive sheets, films, foils and strips
• Seaweed and algae products for human consumption

CNBC separately reported Friday that Collins had announced exemptions covering nine categories important to Maine agriculture.

According to Collins' office, Maine wild blueberry growers import specialized harvesting boxes from Canada that work with existing processing equipment, while an American producer of some cardboard agricultural totes has stopped making them. Potato and apple growers also use the affected products during harvesting and while preparing crops for market.

Collins' office said removing the tariff on Canadian seaweed would additionally benefit Maine companies in the growing seaweed industry.

“These producers are a vital part of our state’s economy and support our rural and coastal communities,” Collins said in a statement announcing the exemptions. She added that businesses rely on Canadian products “that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense.”

Collins said she would continue seeking further exemptions while pushing for a wider trade agreement with Canada.

This is a developing story. More to follow.