Kaine & Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Exempt Small Businesses from Trump Tariffs on Canada
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and five of their Senate colleagues in introducing the Creating Access to Necessary American-Canadian Duty Adjustments (CANADA) Act, legislation that would exempt United States-owned small businesses from President Donald Trump’s senseless tariffs on Canada.
“President Trump’s broad-based tariffs are causing economic chaos, uncertainty, and higher costs for families and businesses,” said Kaine. “I’ve heard from small businesses across Virginia about how Trump’s trade wars have forced them to make tough decisions about how they’ll continue to operate. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan bill with my colleagues to exempt small businesses from Trump’s tariffs on Canada, one of our closest allies and top trading partners.”
President Trump has changed or modified his tariff proposals and policies dozens of times in his second term. These tariffs have been difficult to navigate for small businesses across the U.S., including in Virginia. In 2024, Canada was Virginia’s largest export market and accounted for 15 percent of Virginia exports. In Virginia in 2022, top goods exports to Canada included motor vehicles and transportation equipment, such as medium- and heavy-duty trucks. 56.1 percent of Southwest Virginia’s economic output is dependent on trade. Tariffs lead to supply chain disruptions, increased costs of goods and materials, smaller profits, and higher costs for consumers.
Kaine has been a leading legislative voice in countering Trump’s senseless tariff policies. Earlier this year, Kaine successfully secured Senate passage of his legislation to undo Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods. Kaine has since sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson demanding that he schedule a vote in the House of Representatives on his Senate-passed legislation. Kaine also introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs that the White House announced on April 2. The bill received bipartisan support but narrowly failed. In May, Kaine traveled to Ottawa, Canada to meet with Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, members of his cabinet, and Canadian business leaders to discuss Trump’s tariffs and to reinforce the importance of strong U.S.-Canada relations.
In addition to Kaine and Welch, the legislation is cosponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
The full text of the bill is available here.
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