Collins asks White House to consider ‘negative impact’ of Canada trade war

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) pushed the Trump administration to “consider the negative impact” that engaging in a tariff war with Canada may have on American constituents, straying away from some of her GOP peers.

Republican lawmakers were split Saturday after negotiations fell through between Canada and the U.S., causing the White House to impose a 50 percent tax on more than $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney then retaliated, pledging to “ match those tariffs dollar for dollar .”

Collins, a frequent critic of Trump administration policy , said in a Saturday statement posted to social media that she wants “both sides to return to the negotiating table.” The Maine lawmaker said she expects the move will increase costs for her state’s residents and urged the neighboring countries to reach a “fair agreement.”

“Ever since the tariffs were first announced, I have heard from many businesses, farmers, and lobstermen concerned about the cost of navigating the tariffs, the lack of domestic supply chains, and the likely imposition of retaliatory tariffs by Canada,” she wrote.

The tit-for-tat attacks represent a trade war that Collins believes will “lead to higher costs, risk, and uncertainty for Maine businesses.”

While Collins has publicly decried some of President Trump’s policies, a vast majority of her votes — like many of her fellow Congress Republicans — align with his position on given issues. Though not all her GOP colleagues condemned the latest trade war.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, a loyal Trump appointee, called the forgone agreement a “missed opportunity” for a partnership with Canada in a Saturday social media post. He then went on to criticize Canadian leaders for their “prolonged retaliation against the United States.”

“For decades, Canada has enjoyed the most favorable access to the U.S. market of any country. And from the beginning of President Trump’s trade program, Canada has continued to enjoy the best treatment in the world, even after — like China — retaliating against the United States,” he wrote.

Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), echoed Greer’s stance on the U.S.’s fallout with its northern neighbor. The senator responded to Carney’s move on social media, saying “Canada’s economy only exists by stealing American jobs.”

“Carney is also right that ‘America has changed.’ We no longer have a President that sells out American workers,” he added.

Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt similarly blamed Canadian leadership for the talks deteriorating, bashing Carney in particular during an interview with Fox News Saturday morning. Hewitt labeled the prime minister as a “smooth talking banker” and accused him of “driving Canada into the ground.”

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs are set to begin on Sept. 8, with Carney telling reporters at a press conference Saturday his government will release more details about its policies in the “coming days.”

He did confirm that the tariffs would apply to goods like steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.