Trump Revises Canada Tariff List, Removing 22 Lines and Adding 97

President Donald Trump changed the list of Canadian goods subject to a 50% duty under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, removing 22 classifications and adding 97 ahead of a Maine Senate election.

Trump signed the revision Oct. 23. The new terms apply to goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption starting at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, Oct. 30 (04:01 UTC). Covered products continue to face a 50% additional duty, so the revision changes which goods are included rather than the rate.

The removals include plywood, paper and plastic packaging, refrigeration and freezing equipment, agricultural cleaning, sorting and packaging machinery, and seaweed or algae products for human consumption. Newly covered categories include sweetened cocoa powder, paints, shampoos, waste products, carpets, air-conditioning equipment, freezers, valves, canoes and archery equipment.

The annexes remove 22 Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings and add 97. The classifications span agricultural goods, building materials, household products, machinery and recreational equipment.

Sen. Susan Collins said she sought tariff relief for nine categories she considers important to Maine agriculture. “I have asked for tariff relief for these important products,” Collins said. She discussed tariff relief with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Her office said the products would benefit Maine’s blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed industries.

The timing puts the new schedule in effect four days before Maine’s Nov. 3 general election. Collins is seeking reelection against Democratic nominee Troy Jackson.

Qualifying for tariff preferences under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) does not exempt a Canadian import from the Section 338 charge. The duty also applies on top of any Section 232 duties. Trump’s original July proclamation set 50% duties on specified Canadian products; the administration described them as a response to Canada’s treatment of U.S. commerce. The duties began Aug. 22 at 12:01 a.m. ET (04:01 UTC), after an Aug. 18 proclamation delayed their start by three days.

Neither the proclamation nor its annexes gives the total import value affected or an overall duty estimate. The counts of tariff classifications do not quantify the trade volume or financial effect of the revisions. The changes update earlier U.S. import restrictions on Canadian goods.