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The White House doubled down today on President Donald Trump’s threat to block the opening of a key bridge connecting the US and Canada, saying that it is “unacceptable” that it hasn’t been constructed with more American materials.
On Monday, Trump threatened to block the opening of the new $4 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge, and said he won’t let the span open until the US gets back what it is owed.
Canada paid for the bridge, and major construction is complete. It had been expected to open this year after a period of testing.
Under the terms of an agreement signed in 2012, Canada was fund, build, operate, and maintain the bridge, which is jointly owned by Michigan and Canada.
“The fact that Canada will control what crosses the Gordie Howie Howe bridge and owns the land on both sides is unacceptable to the president,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
She continued, “It’s also unacceptable that more of this bridge isn’t being built with more American-made materials, even more so than what President Barack Obama committed to with the Canadians at the time at the start of the project.”
Trump had previously complained in a social media post that the bridge was built with “virtually no US content,” even though it was made, in part, with American steel and built, in part, by American workers.
Trump, Leavitt said, believes the US “should own at least half of the bridge, have shared authority over what passes across it, and participate in the economic benefits generated by its use.”
The president made that clear in a Tuesday morning call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, she added.
Michigan lawmakers, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, have warned that Trump’s threat could have serious economic repercussions. It could also have political implications for Republicans in the swing state.
Trump threatens to halt US-Canada Bridge opening
President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of a new bridge connecting the US and Canada due to a range of economic issues. It is not clear how Trump would block the opening of the bridge.
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