Congresswoman Chelllie Pingree (D-ME) issued the following statement today in response to President Trump’s announcement of sweeping new tariffs on imports, including a 25% levy on goods from Maine’s largest trading partner, Canada. The Trump tariffs go into effect today, February 1, 2025.
“President Trump’s tariffs will have devastating consequences for Mainers and our economy, driving up costs for working families and destablishing key industries that our state relies on. A 25% tariff on essential imports from Canada – including home heating oil, electricity and raw materials for our mills and fisheries – is nothing more than an added tax on hardworking Mainers, who are already grappling with higher costs.
Rural communities will feel the brunt of these price hikes, particilary those in Aroostook and Washington counties who rely on electricity imported from New Brunswick. And let’s not forget the impact on our lobster industry, which is still recoverng from previous trade wars and now faces potential retalitatory tariffs from Canada, a key processing hub for Maine – caught lobster.
“Tariffs can be a useful tool when implemented in a responsible, targeted way. But these broad, indiscriminate tariffs will only drive up costs for hardworking Americans and make it more difficult for businesses to stay competitive. We should be investing in policies that truly support domestic manufacturing – like the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act, which are already creating good-paying jobs here at home. These tariffs are bad policies, plain and simple.”
:”Why do you suppose the “Collins Press Herald” doesn’t report the serious consequences of the Trump tariffs? Maybe it’s because its name sake Senator Susan Collins (R) is afraid to speak up. That’s because she’s afraid of being primaried by Elon Musk. But, if she doesn’t speak up to support her affected constituents it makes her vulnerable to a challenge from a Maine Democrat in her reelection next year,” says this blogger.