Bangor Studio/Membership Department
63 Texas Ave.
Bangor, ME 04401

Lewiston Studio
1450 Lisbon St.
Lewiston, ME 04240

Portland Studio
323 Marginal Way
Portland, ME 04101

Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
© 2025 Maine Public
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Rep. Golden says universal tariffs will encourage switch to domestic manufacturing

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, attends the State of the Tribes, Wednesday, March 16, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty
/
AP file
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, attends the State of the Tribes, Wednesday, March 16, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine.

Maine Congressman Jared Golden has re-introduced legislation to impose a 10% tariff on all imported goods at a time when the incoming Trump administration is considering similar taxes on foreign-made products.

Golden's bill calling for a 10% universal tariff, or import tax, is identical to one he introduced last fall. But the Democrat's latest version is garnering more attention because it mirrors, at least in theory, the Trump's campaign pledges and statements as he prepares to take office.

Golden is a vocal critic of free trade agreements that he and others argue led to the loss of manufacturing jobs in Maine and across the country as companies shifted to lower-cost labor overseas.

“After decades of failed free trade agreements, the hollowing out of American industry and stagnating wages, we owe it to ourselves to ask real questions about what we prioritize in our economy,” Golden said in a statement. “The universal tariff — along with other policies to support domestic energy production, unions and manufacturing — is designed to reorient our economy from one focused on cheap goods and consumption to one centered on production and innovation.”

Many Democrats in Congress have criticized Trump's focus on tariffs, saying they ultimately drive up the costs for American consumers and hurt U.S. exports because countries respond with similar taxes. But during an appearance Friday on Maine Calling, Golden pointed out that President Biden kept and even expanded many of the tariffs that were imposed by Trump during his first term.

Economists have mixed views about the impacts of tariffs. Trump has also threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico after retaking office, raising the specter of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports to those countries. Canada is the top export destination for Maine goods, accounting for nearly half of Maine's estimated $3 billion in exports in 2023, according to data from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Golden was asked about the impacts on Maine businesses — both importers and exporters — during Friday's Maine Calling program.

"Why don't we keep the Maine wood for a Maine sawmill and protect those Maine jobs or create more?" Golden said. "Or why don't [we] process our own blueberries and create jobs for people right here in Maine instead for Canadians. And then there would be no problem with the tariff protecting the Maine blueberry grower from the Canadian one . . . It's literally meant to encourage domestic manufacturing production and consumption. And by the way, if we start buying more and more stuff that is being manufactured right here in Maine, the domestic goods price can go down."

The incoming Trump administration is reportedly exploring plans for some sort of universal import tax. But Golden's proposal didn't pick up any Republican or Democratic co-sponsors last year — and neither has his newest bill, at least so far.