WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is set to introduce legislation to stop U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs as Democrats ramp up their affordability messaging ahead of midterm elections. The new bill backed by the Democrat from New York attempts to rein in the latest tariffs on Canadian goods and the separate duties the Trump administration says are linked to forced labour in supply chains. “While inflation rages, families struggle to pay their bills and small businesses close, Trump — detached from reality — continues his bluster on the global stage, doubling down on a chaotic trade war that has meant only pain for American families, farmers and manufacturers,” Schumer said in a news release Tuesday. “Republicans won’t stand up to Trump’s nonsense and Americans are crying out for relief.” The legislation is largely symbolic, since it’s unlikely to pass a Republican-controlled Congress or overcome Trump’s presidential veto. But it gives Democrats ammunition against Republicans — who are heading into November elections as an unpopular war on Iran drives up inflation and gas prices, and as affordability remains the top issue cited by voters. Trump last month hit Canada with 50 per cent tariffs on multiple goods, ranging from hockey sticks and cement to honey, after trade talks between the two nations broke down. Canada is set to respond with its own set of retaliatory duties next week. The Trump administration in July also used Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to hit Canada and dozens of other countries with double-digit tariffs, after claiming those countries weren’t doing enough to fight forced labour in supply chains. The Canadian government has told the Trump administration that new legislation combating forced labour in supply chains should have shielded Canada from those 10 per cent tariffs. Those duties do not apply to goods compliant under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA. A coalition of U.S. states is already challenging the use of Section 301 for the forced-labour duties. Schumer’s new legislation — which would repeal both sets of tariffs and require refunds — comes as polling shows that Trump’s tariffs on Canada and the president’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” are widely unpopular. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found a majority of Americans oppose both moves. The nationwide Aug. 28 to Aug. 30 poll of 1,023 registered voters — which was conducted online, so it can’t be assigned a margin of error — found only 20 per cent of respondents support the higher tariffs on Canada and 14 per cent support changing the name of Lake Ontario. The bilateral tensions could prove to be a boon for Democrats in high-stakes contests in states that do substantial trade with Canada, including Michigan, Maine and Ohio. Some Republicans are already breaking away from Trump’s trade policy and messages disparaging Canada. Wisconsin Public Radio reported that Tom Tiffany, the Trump-backed Republican candidate for governor in that state, told reporters last week that the Great Lakes should keep their original names. Republican Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont last week called the move disappointing. Schumer’s bill is co-sponsored by 13 other Senate Democrats, including Ron Wyden of Oregon. They’ve called repeatedly for Congress to take back its power over taxes and tariffs from the executive branch. “Congress has to stand up to Trump, end his trade war with Canada and repeal the outdated law he’s using to tax nearly everything we need to get by,” Wyden said in the news release. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2026. Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
