Trump eases Canada tariffs ahead of US midterms

The Trump administration is expanding tariff exemptions to include various Canadian products, such as certain paper, plastic, machinery, and seaweed products. According to the South China Morning Post, Senator Susan Collins announced these exemptions on Friday, stating they will support Maine's rural and coastal economies, specifically affecting the blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed industries.

Collins noted that many American farmers and growers depend on specialized equipment and packaging from Canada that is either unavailable domestically or too expensive to replace.

Collins, who is running in a competitive re-election race in Maine, stated her office pushed for these additional exemptions through discussions with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. DW English (Top Stories) reports that the move occurs as the Republican Party works to maintain control of the US Congress.

This follows a previous action last month where President Trump exempted road salt and other products following a request from Collins. The South China Morning Post notes that the Wall Street Journal reported earlier that these reductions could be balanced by increasing levies on different Canadian goods.

Brief written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories), South China Morning Post — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.