Tariff Roster Overhauled With Both Removals and Additions
The White House confirmed on Friday that it would strip several Canadian products from its list of goods hit with 50% duties, but simultaneously slot in new categories subject to those same steep levies. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation removing specific items from the tariff schedule he established over the summer under a 96-year-old trade statute known as Section 338. According to a White House fact sheet, those removed products are being "replaced" by valves, carpets, waste products, and additional items.
The fact sheet described the adjustments as a step to "further refine the scope of the tariffs on certain Canadian products." Notably, the document makes no reference to Maine, the state at the center of the political controversy surrounding the change. The revised tariff list — encompassing both the exemptions and the newly added goods — becomes effective October 30, just four days before the November 3 U.S. general election.
Collins Claims Credit as Maine Voters Head to the Ballots
The announcement surfaced after Senator Susan Collins, a Republican representing Maine, publicly took credit for pressuring the administration to carve out exemptions for import categories she described as "crucial" to her state's industrial base. The Wall Street Journal broke the story of her announcement. In a press release distributed before the fact sheet went public, Collins' office highlighted that the senator had secured relief on "nine categories of products crucial for Maine's agricultural industries."
Collins' spokeswoman, Phoebe Keller, told CNBC that the senator "requested exemptions for products that are important to Maine and will continue to do so." In her own statement, Collins said she had asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for tariff relief, pointing to the "burdens additional costs impose on Maine businesses and families."
She added that she would keep pressing administration officials for further relief and push toward a broader trade agreement with Canada, describing the country as a "neighbor, ally and largest trading partner."
The specific products pulled from the Section 338 tariff list include corrugated paper, plastic boxes and packing bags, refrigeration equipment, various types of machinery, and seaweed and algae products, per Collins' office.
The timing is politically sensitive. Early voting has already begun in the closely watched Maine Senate race, where the administration's tariff policies have become a leading concern among voters. Maine imports significantly more merchandise from Canada than from any other nation, making the duties a direct economic burden on local businesses.
Opponent and White House Both Respond
Collins' Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation Maine logger, swiftly rejected the senator's framing. In a public statement, Jackson argued that the president's trade disputes have raised costs for ordinary Mainers and that Collins bears responsibility for enabling the policies.
"Susan Collins enabled this chaos, voted to confirm the people behind it, and now wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put out the fire," Jackson said.
On the administration side, White House spokesman Matthew Middleton framed the proclamation as a response to what he called Canada's adverse treatment of American commerce. He stated that the president is acting in response to "continued discrimination against and additional retaliation targeting U.S. commerce," with the stated aim of shielding American farmers, manufacturers, and workers. Middleton emphasized that the administration intends to deploy "every available tool" to restore what he termed reciprocity in bilateral trade and to protect the economic well-being and national security of the American public.
Broader Context of the U.S.-Canada Trade Clash
The tariff swap comes amid a sustained escalation in trade friction between the two North American neighbors during Trump's second term. The administration has layered heavy duties across a broad spectrum of Canadian goods, straining supply chains and raising input costs for industries that depend on cross-border commerce.
Collins has not been silent on the broader policy. During the first televised debate between herself and Jackson on October 6, the incumbent Republican highlighted her role in getting certain items — including road salt — taken off the tariff list. The Friday announcement extends that narrative, though the simultaneous addition of new products to the duty schedule complicates the picture of pure relief. The fact sheet's language about "refining" the tariff scope, rather than rolling it back, signals the administration's intent to maintain overall pressure on Canadian trade while making targeted concessions.
With the October 30 effective date falling just days before Election Day, the tariff adjustments are likely to feature prominently in the final stretch of campaigning in Maine, where the economic fallout from the trade dispute has become a defining issue for voters.