Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08), etc. Confront the “Real and Mounting Economic Harm” of “Trump’s Idiotic Trade Attack On Canada”

As Virginia’s cowardly Republicans predictably, and pathetically, refuse to take any substantive action regarding Trump’s continued severe damage to the country and the Commonwealth, see below for statements by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA)8) and other Virginia leaders to Trump’s insane trade war with Canada, formerly one of our closest – if not our closest – allies in the world. As with everything else Trump touches, unfortunately, that’s dying or dead at this point; great job, Trump voters (and those who stayed home instead of voting for Kamala Harris)!

First, here’s Governor Abigail Spanberger’s press release, which she introduced on social media, saying “When President Trump started a trade war in 2025, Virginia farmers felt the impact immediately and they’ve been trying to recover for the last year. Now, the President is making it worse with 50% tariffs on Canada — a top trading partner for Virginia agriculture. Retaliatory tariffs are set to go into effect on September 8, and once again, Virginia’s producers are left grappling with the loss of markets, increased costs for basics like fertilizer, and overall uncertainty that threatens their operations.” See below for her full statement, and here for her letter.

Governor Spanberger Confronts Trump Administration on “Real and Mounting Economic Harm” of Continued Tariffs

Governor Spanberger: “Continuing Down This Path Will Have Devastating Consequences for Virginia and States Across the Country” 

RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today urged the Trump Administration — the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Office of the United States Trade Representative — to confront the consequences of President Trump’s tariffs and focus on bringing stability as the President imposes new 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and Canada prepares to retaliate.

Canada is Virginia’s second-largest trade partner and single-largest export market. In 2025, Virginia exported $2.9 billion in goods to Canada — and $19 billion in total to all trade partners, with Canada and the United States trading a total of $6.3 billion. Last year, Virginia’s largest and third-largest private industries, agriculture and forestry, exported $3.13 billion in products — a sizeable decline compared to $3.44 billion in 2024. In 2023, Virginia good exports supported an estimated 73,000 jobs across the Commonwealth.

The Trump Administration’s tariffs are hurting producers and small businesses, disrupting supply chains, and contributing to increasing financial strain for Virginians. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, costs have increased for families across the Commonwealth by an average of $2,900.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Governor Spanberger outlined the harm caused to some of Virginia’s largest industries, the Commonwealth’s economy, and Virginia families by the Administration’s reckless tariff policies — beginning under President Trump’s first term through the most recent tariffs imposed on Canada.

“The Administration’s actions have directly contributed to a marked decline in Virginia’s agricultural and forestry exports, and the sectors are now absorbing sharp tariff-driven losses across our Commonwealth,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “Beyond agriculture, Virginia’s small businesses — whether in retail, manufacturing, or hospitality — operate on thin margins and have very little capacity to absorb sustained cost increases from tariffs on imported goods. Thus, business owners have been forced to choose between trying to absorb higher costs or, regrettably, having to pass these increased costs on to customers who themselves are already stretched thin.”

Governor Spanberger continued, “I urge you to take a hard look at the damage being done to communities across Virginia and the nation and reconsider your approach to future trade policy for our country.”

Click here to read the Governor’s full letter to Secretary Lutnick and Secretary Rollins.

In a separate letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer, the Governor urged him to focus on restoring predictable market access for Virginia agricultural and manufacturing exporters. Additionally, Governor Spanberger called on Ambassador Greer to prioritize strengthening the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) amid joint review of the critical trade agreement.

“The collapse of recent tariff negotiations will cause immediate harm to Virginia workers, farmers, foresters, and businesses and threaten the stability of our long-standing and vital commercial partnership,” said Governor Spanberger. “Each export to Canada leads back to a dedicated Virginian working an honest job, running a business, or raising high-quality products while supporting the economy and contributing to their local community. When Canada responds with further retaliatory tariffs in September, the competitiveness of Virginia’s exports will suffer significantly. As Governor, I must express my complete opposition to these damaging actions that will cause harm to Virginia’s businesses in a matter of days.”

Governor Spanberger continued, “Simply put, continuing down this path will have devastating consequences for Virginia and states across the country. Virginia’s relationship with Canada is not an abstraction. Canada represents the largest single destination for Virginia’s exports. This crucial economic partnership took decades of trade policy continuity to build. I urge you to treat the stability of that relationship as a priority.”

Click here to read the Governor’s full letter to Ambassador Greer.

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Governor Spanberger has long worked to expand trade opportunities for Virginia businesses. In July, the Governor led her first international economic trade mission — meeting with global business leaders in the United Kingdom, Italy, and France to strengthen Virginia’s trade relationships and position the Commonwealth for future investment.

As a Member of Congress, Governor Spanberger worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass the bipartisan United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which facilitates stronger trade partnerships between the three countries.

Governor Spanberger is working to support Virginia agriculture and Virginia’s producers. Earlier this summer, the Governor heard directly from cattlemen, farmers, and producers at a sixth-generation, family-owned farm in Washington County about the impacts of damaging federal trade policies that are hurting Virginia farms.

And from Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08):

Beyer Denounces Trump’s Idiotic Trade Attack On Canada

August 24, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), the Senior House Democrat on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee and a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, issued the following statement today after President Trump imposed massive new tariffs on Canada:

“Trump’s trade war with Canada is doing lasting damage to one of our oldest and most important strategic alliances. It may take years to fix what Trump is breaking if it can be fixed at all, especially with his Cabinet members adding to his moronic ‘51st state’ references by giving brainless, ill-informed public commentary needlessly insulting the Canadians. In the meantime, Americans will see much higher prices on goods from our second largest trading partner. The stupidity of Trump’s tariffs and trade policies truly boggles the mind, and it is getting worse.”

Rep. Don Beyer serves as Senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, chairs the New Democrat Coalition’s Trade Task Force, and serves on the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.

Beyer is the sponsor of the Congressional Trade Authority Act, which would rein in presidential abuses of authorities under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. He is the co-lead, with Rep. Suzan DelBene, of legislation to end abuses of International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff authorities, and an original cosponsor of the Repealing Outdated and Unilateral Tariff Authorities Act, which would repeal Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930; the Reclaim Trade Powers Act, which would strike Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a law that currently allows the President to impose sweeping 15% tariffs on all imports under a “balance of payments” crisis; and the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, which would halt President Trump’s trade wars, repeal tariffs, and reclaim Congress’ lawful authority over tariffs.

Sen. Mark Warner: “Trump is doing everything he can to drag us into a trade war with Canada. The courts already struck down his sweeping tariffs on one of our closest allies, but Trump won’t stop. He’s back with a new tax on everything from cars to clothes to agriculture products. Americans need lower costs, not another Trump tax.”