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Vermont Senate amends resolution urging rollback of certain tariffs on Canadian imports; debate centers on scope and existing tariffs
Summary
The Senate amended and advanced SR 11, a resolution that supports cooperative relations with Canada and urges the U.S. president to remove tariffs on Canadian imports not in effect on Jan. 20, 2025. Senators debated tariff history, economic impacts for Vermont, and whether the amended language appropriately targeted recent administration actions.
The Vermont Senate on May 12 amended and advanced SR 11, a resolution supporting "warm and cooperative relations" between Vermont, the United States and Canada and urging the U.S. president to remove tariffs imposed on Canadian imports.
Senator Randy Brock (Rutland) presented the economic development committee's report, saying the updated resolution narrows its request to "remove tariffs against imports from Canada that were not in effect on 01/20/2025." Brock said the change responds to concerns that the original draft's call for an immediate rollback of all tariffs was "not well informed." He described the economic ties between Vermont and Canada, saying Canadian visitors and cross-border business are important to the state and that Vermont exports roughly $850 million a year to Canada while importing about $2.6 billion.
Senator Weeks (Rutland) noted committee testimony that Canadian visits to Vermont were down about 70% compared with the previous year and said the resolution recognizes the economic harm of recent trade actions. Senator from Essex spoke in opposition, arguing that significant preexisting Canadian tariffs and long-standing protections (including subsidies) have long affected Vermont producers, particularly dairy farmers; Essex said those prior tariffs and subsidies would not be resolved by the proposed language.
The Senate amended the resolution as recommended by the committee on economic development and ordered third reading. A roll-call vote on the committee amendment resulted in the amendment being adopted (ayes recorded on the floor; recorded roll-call names appear in the Senate journal). Following debate, the Senate ordered third reading on the resolution.
Why it matters: Vermont and Canada have substantial cross-border trade and family ties; the resolution is symbolic but intended to register the Legislature's stance with the federal government and Canadian partners. The amendment limited the request to tariffs imposed after Jan. 20, 2025, focusing the resolution on recent administration actions rather than long-standing trade measures.
Next steps: SR 11 was ordered to third reading; the transcript does not record final passage after third reading within this session transcript. Copies of the resolution will be sent to the U.S. president, the Canadian prime minister, the premier of Quebec, Vermont's governor and the state's federal delegation, according to the presenter.
