Governor Paul LePage says that while he supports Donald Trump and his administration, he has does not support tariffs, which he says can't work because the U.S. is too big of a user of world commodities.
This morning at the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce' s Eggs and Issues breakfast, LePage took aim at tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Canadian steel. The Governor says most of the steel that comes into Maine is from Canada.
“There are companies in Maine right now that have contracts, but you add 25 percent tariff onto it, they're all losing money,” says LePage.
Last week the North Berwick-based company Hussey Seatingsaid it has seen steel prices increase by almost 45 percent since last fall. The company is urging the Trump Administration to remove tariffs on Canadian steel.
LePage has long opposed tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, which he has said has led to "devastating" job losses in Maine.
