Sen. Collins Says U.S. Will Exempt Nine Categories of Canadian Imports From Tariffs; No Administration Confirmation Yet

Sen. Susan Susan Collins of Maine said Friday that the United States will issue tariff exemptions covering nine categories of Canadian imports, though no administration announcement had confirmed the move at the time of reporting, according to CNBC. The exemptions were first reported earlier Friday afternoon by The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC said the White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not immediately respond to its request for comment.

What Collins Announced

In a statement released Oct. 23, 2026, Collins said the exemptions cover nine product categories. CNBC's account of her release named five of them: corrugated paper, plastic boxes and packing bags, refrigeration equipment, multiple forms of machinery, and seaweed and algae products. The remaining categories were not detailed in that reporting, which also did not cite any implementing USTR notice or Federal Register document setting out the Harmonized Tariff Schedule lines covered, an effective date, or whether importers that already paid duties would receive retroactive relief.

"In my repeated conversations with Ambassador Greer, Secretary Lutnick, and other senior Administration officials, I have asked for tariff relief for these important products and stressed the burdens additional costs impose on Maine businesses and families," Collins said in the statement, referring to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. She said many Maine farmers and growers "rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense," and said she would "continue working directly with Administration officials to seek additional relief from tariffs and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada." Maine buys more from Canada than from any other foreign country, per CNBC. Any carve-outs would apply against the additional 50% U.S. tariffs on a broad range of Canadian products imposed under three presidential proclamations signed July 20, 2026, which took effect Aug. 22, 2026 after a delay from Aug. 19, according to a U.S.-Canada tariff timeline published by law firm Blakes. Bottom line: on the evidence available, the scope, timing and retroactivity of the nine exemptions rest on Collins's statement alone, because the reporting reviewed cites no implementing notice from USTR or the White House.