The 25% tariffs that President Donald Trump placed on Canada and Mexico starting Feb. 1 were subsequently paused by his administration for a 30-day period. However, because of Wisconsin’s robust trade with both nations – but especially Canada – Bauer said he was relieved when the president pulled back on the tariffs.
“I think the pause is good,” said Bauer. “I’m concerned the retaliatory tariffs would be rough on Wisconsin. We are a manufacturing state. We are an agricultural state. We make things, we process things, we grow things and we export them around the world. Canada’s our number one trading partner. We have positive trade with them right now. The second largest is Mexico and then China. So all three are on the chopping block. They account for about 50% of Wisconsin exports. So this could have a very significant impact on the state of Wisconsin and our manufacturing and agricultural industries.”
