Trump exempts more Canadian goods from 50% tariffs after lobbying by Senator Susan Collins

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that further narrows the list of Canadian products subject to his tariffs, the White House said^2,4. The order relies on Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and refines duties first announced on 20 July 2026 and modified on 8 September 2026, according to a White House fact sheet².

The changes ease 50% tariffs on Canadian farm equipment and packaging goods, with new exemptions for Canadian paper, plastics and machinery^5,6. Products that are crucial to Maine’s agricultural industries will be exempt, according to Senator Susan Collins¹⁰. Trump had already exempted road salt and other products last month⁹.

Why it matters to investors

The relief came after direct lobbying by Collins, a Republican in a tight race to keep her Senate seat in next month’s elections⁴. Collins said she had been working with the White House on tariff relief⁴. She said she pursued the exemptions through repeated conversations with Ambassador Greer, Secretary Lutnick and other senior administration officials^3,7,10. She said she spoke to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ‘about the toll tariffs are taking on Maine families, businesses, farmers, and growers’⁸.

Her office said she pressed US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Lutnick for the exemptions^6,7. Several outlets described the move as an effort to help Collins win re-election, and it comes as the midterm election approaches^3,8,9. For importers of Canadian paper, plastics and machinery, the exemptions lower input costs that had been subject to the 50% duty⁵.

The White House continues to frame the wider tariffs as a response to Canadian policy. In the original July proclamation, Trump said he found as a fact that Canada was discriminating against the commerce of the United States with respect to motor vehicles¹. The fact sheet describes the latest step as further countering what it calls Canada’s discriminatory treatment of American exports². Canada’s position is not set out in these reports.

What to watch

The tariffs themselves remain in force for products not covered by the exemptions^2,5. Each round of carve-outs, from road salt last month to farm machinery and packaging now, has narrowed the scope of the duties rather than removed them^5,9.

Collins has made the exemptions part of her campaign in a close Maine Senate race^4,7. Whether further exemptions follow before the vote, and whether other lawmakers seek similar relief for their states, are the next questions for companies that trade across the border^3,7.