Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Friday that the U.S. will exempt nine categories of Canadian imports from tariffs. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington is expected to remove 50% tariffs on some Canadian agricultural and forestry products, while a White House official called preliminary reporting speculation.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Friday that the U.S. will issue tariff exemptions on several categories of Canadian imports. The announcement came as voters have already started casting ballots in the Maine Senate race, one of the most competitive contests of the midterm election cycle.
Nine product categories named
The exemptions apply to nine product categories, including corrugated paper, plastic boxes and packing bags, refrigeration equipment, multiple forms of machinery, and seaweed and algae products. Collins also said the exempted groups include blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers.
Collins said in a press release that she had asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to lower Trump's import duties. The White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
WSJ reports a wider move, with offsets possible
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar, that the U.S. is expected to remove 50% tariffs on some Canadian agricultural and forestry products. The reductions could be balanced out by raising levies on other Canadian goods, and a proclamation could come as early as Friday, according to the report.
A White House official told the Journal that any tariff announcements would come directly from the administration and that any preliminary reporting is speculation. The Commerce Department did not immediately comment on Collins' announcement.
Trade war pressure on Maine
President Donald Trump has waged a trade war against Canada that has put strain on businesses in Maine, which buys more from Canada than any other foreign country. Collins' Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, has tried to tie her to Trump's tariffs.
Collins is trying to win a sixth term in Democratic-leaning Maine, one of two states, with Michigan, that Republicans will likely need to win on November 3 to hold the US Senate.
Sources: CNBC, Reuters via Investing.com
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