Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) delivered remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday in support of a resolution sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would end President Donald Trump’s (R) emergency declaration imposing tariffs on Canada for not doing enough to stop illegal drugs from coming into the United States.

The Senate went on to approve this resolution 51-48 with support from all Democrats and four Republicans, including Sens. Collins, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Rand Paul (R-KY).

On February 1, President Trump declared an emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), citing a lack of effort from the Canadian government to prevent illegal drugs, including fentanyl, from coming across the border.

The IEEPA was originally enacted in 1977 and gives the president board authority to regulate economic transactions under a declared emergency.

This law also gives Congress the authority to terminate a president’s emergency declaration, but in light of a landmark Supreme Court ruling, they are only able to do so by adopting a joint resolution.

Until 2023, however, Congress had never attempted to terminate a president’s emergency declaration under the IEEPA. In fact, a report from the Congressional Research Service indicates that lawmakers had been known to ask the president to impose more sanctions under the Act, not less.

“The sustained influx of illicit opioids and other drugs has profound consequences on our Nation, endangering lives and putting a severe strain on our healthcare system, public services, and communities,” said Trump in his February executive order declaring an emergency under the IEEPA.

“This challenge threatens the fabric of our society,” he argued. “Canada has played a central role in these challenges, including by failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs.”

“This national emergency requires decisive and immediate action, and I have decided to impose, consistent with law, ad valorem tariffs on articles that are products of Canada set forth in this order,” Trump declared.

An ad valorem tariff is one that is calculated based on the value of goods, as opposed to their size or weight.

The executive order goes on to lay out which products would be subject to a 10 percent tariff and which would be subject to a 25 percent tariff.

Although Canada was not subject to the new 10 percent global tariff baseline announced by the president Wednesday as part of what he dubbed “Liberation Day,” the tariffs implemented under the IEEPA will remain in effect until further notice.

In her speech on the Senate floor, Collins argued that these tariffs would be “detrimental to many Maine families and our local economies.”

She went on to explain that while she “share[s] the President’s goal of stemming the tide of dangerous fentanyl” and “commend[s] him for taking far stronger actions to halt this dangerous and deadly flow than did the previous administration,” she disagrees with invoking his authority under the IEEPA to impose tariffs on Canada.

“The fact is, the vast majority of fentanyl in America comes from the southern border,” she said. “In fiscal year 2024, less than 1 percent of fentanyl seizures occurred at our norther border, and our Canadian neighbors are working collaboratively and cooperatively with our government to stop that trafficking.”

Collins then went on cite several examples of the “intertwined relationship” between Maine and Canada, including the state’s 95 percent reliance on heating oil from Canadian refineries and 90 percent reliance on imported potato fertilizer.

She also noted that many “products are processed back and forth across the border as well,” including between $200 million and $400 million worth of lobster.

“I share the President’s goal of getting more of that manufacturing done in the State of Maine, done in the Untied States, but the fact is that if we impose these tariffs on Canadian processing, it’s going to be our Maine lobstermen who will bear the cost; it’s going to be consumers who bear the cost,” she said.

Collins also noted that “members of the tourism industry” had told her that they are “seeing cancellations by Canadian tourists, who have come for years to vacation in Maine,” suggesting that she doesn’t want to see these tourists “whoa re so vital to Maine’s economy” be discouraged “from vacationing in Maine because they are so angry at what has happened.”

She also explained that she believes there is “a strong case to be made” for tariffs on Mexico and China and underscored her support “for ensuring that the Department of Homeland Security has every tool at its disposal to stem the flow of fentanyl into our nation.”

“The price hikes that will happen for Maine families, every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank, they filled their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful,” Collins concluded. “And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least.”

The joint resolution overturning the president’s emergency declaration and connected tariffs on Canada will now go before the House of Representatives for approval, where Republicans currently have a five-vote majority.

In joining with Senators Murkowski, McConnell and Paul, Collins bucked Senate leadership on Wednesday’s vote as both Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Majority Barrasso (R-WY) tried unsuccessfully to hold the caucus in line.

“Canada is our friend and our ally,” Collins said earlier on Wednesday. “This is not China we’re talking about. It’s not an adversarial nation. It’s our biggest trading partner. This just makes no sense.”