Susan Collins Calls For End To Canada Emergency Declaration, Warns Tariffs Could Be 'Detrimental'

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During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) spoke in support of a resolution to overturn President Trump's emergency declaration being used to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript   Stay Connected Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00Senator Fremain. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the resolution

00:10introduced by my colleague from Virginia, Senator Kaine, to overturn the emergency

00:17declaration for the northern border that is being used to impose tariffs on goods imported

00:27from Canada. Mr. President, the Maine economy is integrated with Canada, our most important

00:37trading partner, from home heating oil, gasoline, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum products,

00:47to Maine's paper mills, forest products businesses, agricultural producers, and lobster men.

00:55The tariffs on Canada would be detrimental to many Maine families and our local economies.

01:06Mr. President, of course, I share the President's goal of stemming the tide of dangerous fentanyl

01:16that flows into the United States. I commend him for taking far stronger actions to halt

01:27this dangerous and deadly flow than did the previous administration. I do not, however,

01:36agree with his invoking the powers of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act

01:45to impose tariffs on Canadian goods and products. The fact is the vast majority of fentanyl in

01:55America comes from the southern border. In fiscal year 2024, less than one percent of fentanyl

02:06seizures occurred at our northern border, and our Canadian neighbors are working collaboratively and

02:16cooperatively with our government to stop that trafficking. Mr. President, one of the best

02:25examples of the intertwined relationship between Maine's economy and Canada can be seen at the

02:35Twin Rivers paper mill in Mattawaska, Maine, way in the north on the Canadian border. Twin Rivers produces

02:45lightweight specialty paper for packaging materials for our nation's newspapers and our

02:52retailers' catalogs, for food and environmentally safe papers used in restaurants, and for a wide

03:01variety of other paper goods that are used all over the country. The raw pulp for this paper mill

03:12in Maine is piped across the St. John River from Edmonston, New Brunswick to Mattawaska, Maine.

03:22There literally is a pipeline through which the pulp travels between these two sister mills.

03:33A tariff placed on this pulp would jeopardize the financial well-being of this vital paper mill,

03:42which employs more than 500 people in rural northern Maine. There is not another big employer

03:54in that area that could possibly compensate for the loss of those 510 direct jobs, and that doesn't

04:05include the indirect jobs, the truck drivers, the loggers, the restaurant owners who would be harmed

04:15by the closure or reduction in the operation of this vitally important mill. The tariff would not

04:26only devastate Twin Rivers, but also harm hundreds of Maine families. Another example of our integration

04:38with Canada is in energy. 95% of the heating oil that is used by most Mainers to heat their homes

04:50comes from refineries in Canada. Irving Oil, a Canadian-based company, has 150 gas stations in

05:01Maine and supplies two-thirds of the state's gas, diesel, and heating oil. This includes, Mr. President,

05:12100% of the jet fuel that is used by the Air National Guard Base in Bangor.

05:22Maine consumers, Maine businesses, and the U.S. Department of Defense, our own Department of Defense,

05:32would bear the cost of that Canadian energy tariff. Mr. President, Canadian tariffs would also

05:43harm many Maine farmers, lobstermen, and fishermen. According to the Maine Potato Board, 90% of the

05:53potash, which is the fertilizer used for growing potatoes, is imported from Canada. Fertilizer

06:03accounts for 11% of total input costs to grow our great Maine potatoes. Tariffs on imports like

06:14fertilizer will only hurt Maine potato growers. And, Mr. President, I grew up in Aroostook County.

06:25I know these potato growers. I picked potatoes as a school child when I was growing up.

06:35Just recently, a farmer from Mars Hill, Maine, told me that just the threat of tariffs is causing

06:43a price increase on seed and equipment. This farmer supplies potatoes to a Canadian company

06:52with facilities on both sides of the border. The different facilities have specialized equipment

07:00to process potatoes for different uses. Hash browns in one plant, curly fries in another.

07:10A tariff on potatoes as they cross back and forth between Maine and Canada

07:18would cause terrible harm to this and other growers. Other products are processed back and

07:28forth across the border as well. For example, many Maine blueberries are processed in Prince Edward

07:37Island. Maine also sends between 200 million and 400 million dollars worth of lobster to Canada

07:48each year for processing. There are 240 lobster processing plants in Canada, but only 15 in the

07:58United States. I share the President's goal of getting more of that manufacturing done in the

08:06state of Maine, done in the United States, but the fact is that if we impose these tariffs on Canadian

08:16processing, it's going to be our Maine lobstermen who will bear the cost. It's going to be consumers

08:25who bear the cost. I'd like to make mention of another industry that would be affected as well,

08:33and that is the aquaculture industry. In Washington County in far eastern Maine,

08:41Cook Aquaculture is one of the largest employers with more than 200 direct jobs throughout the

08:51state. While they have a processing plant in Machias, Maine, the first step of their salmon

09:00processing occurs in Canada before re-entering the United States for finishing. At a time when

09:09the Maine aquaculture industry is growing, these tariffs on Canada would jeopardize current jobs

09:19and also block future ones. Mr. President, close relationships between and among families on both

09:31sides of the border are very common in the state of Maine. It's typical of communities ranging from

09:40Calais in the east, Fort Kent in the north, and Jackman in the west. You see it all across the

09:50northern, eastern, and western parts of our state because our communities are so integrated. It is

10:00not surprising to me that I had a conversation with members of the tourism industry in Maine

10:08just this morning who told me that they're seeing cancellations by Canadian tourists who have come

10:17for years to vacation in Maine. Old Orchard Beach, for example, is known for the number

10:26of Canadian tourists. We don't want to discourage these Canadian tourists who are so vital to Maine's

10:36economy from vacationing in Maine because they are so angry at what has happened.

10:46Maine families benefit from more than $900 billion in goods and services that are exchanged between

10:55our two countries every year. It is crucial that we remain a dependent and vibrant global trading

11:04partner, particularly with Canada. Now, I want to distinguish that I think there is a strong case

11:14to be made for tariffs on Mexico, on our adversary China, but I don't see the case for Canada. There

11:26are areas where Canada does need to do better, and the dairy industry is one, and I hope that

11:35that we will see that result. And let me conclude my remarks by reaffirming my support for ensuring

11:48that the Department of Homeland Security has every tool at its disposal to stem the flow

11:57of fentanyl into our nation. But unlike Mexico and China, Canada is not complicit in this crisis,

12:10and we should continue working with our Canadian allies to secure the northern border,

12:18not unfairly penalize them. Our consumers, our manufacturers, our lobstermen, our blueberry

12:28growers, our potato farmers will pay the price. Mr. President, the price hikes that will happen

12:37for Maine families every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank,

12:44they fill their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful.

12:54And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least.

13:05Therefore, I will support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do so likewise.

13:13Thank you, Mr. President.

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