Trump Swaps Tariffs on Canadian Farm Boxes for New Duties on Shampoo and Carpets — Collins Calls It a Win
A new proclamation exempts goods Maine farmers rely on from 50% Canadian tariffs while adding fresh duties elsewhere, as Sen. Susan Collins fights for her political life days before the midterms.
President Trump has quietly rewritten his tariff list on Canadian imports again, exempting a handful of products Maine's farm industry depends on while slapping fresh 50% duties on other goods — a trade-off Republican Sen. Susan Collins is already claiming credit for back home.
Under a new White House proclamation issued Friday, imports including corrugated boxes, crates, plastic sacks, packing machinery, refrigeration equipment and seaweed are removed from the 50% tariffs Trump imposed on Canadian goods in late August after trade talks between Washington and Ottawa broke down. In exchange, the administration added new 50% duties on shampoo, vinyl flooring, coffins, carpets and window-unit air conditioners.
Blueberries and ballots
Collins said the carve-outs protect Maine's wild blueberry growers, who rely on specialized Canadian harvesting boxes, along with the state's apple and potato farmers. "Many of these goods are simply unavailable from American suppliers, or would cost significantly more to replace," she said in a statement, adding that she had personally pressed administration officials for the relief.
"MAINE IS A NEIGHBOR, A FRIEND, A CLOSE ALLY AND A MAJOR TRADING PARTNER."
The timing is pointed: Collins is seeking a sixth Senate term in a state that leans Democratic, and the exemption is the third she's secured since August, after earlier carve-outs for road salt and pulp. During an October debate with Democratic opponent Troy Jackson, she said she'd been working "behind the scenes" to blunt the trade war's impact on Maine even while supporting the broader tariff push. Jackson shot back, "What about everything else?" — arguing Collins hasn't pushed hard enough to kill the tariffs outright.
Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, called the carve-outs "politically motivated," noting they landed just days before Election Day. The White House maintains the tariffs are necessary to address what it calls unfair Canadian trade practices; Canada has retaliated with its own duties on U.S. goods since the standoff began.
Whether the latest swap moves many votes is an open question — but with Maine's Senate race rated among the most competitive in the country, every tariff line item is now also a campaign ad.