Trade Rep. Greer on Canada tariffs: 'This is business'

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday he's confident fresh U.S. tariff threats on Canada won't jeopardize the two countries' trade relationship.

"For us, this is business," Greer told reporters after testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, according to Politico.

"This is trade. This is economics. We're looking at bottom lines," he said.

Greer offered no sign that talks with Ottawa have advanced or that the administration will abandon its push for separate negotiations with Canada and Mexico on the North American trade pact.

He downplayed the scope of the new duties, saying they would apply to only "a small handful of goods."

Greer estimated about $20 billion in Canadian exports would face the 50% rate. U.S. goods imports from Canada topped $380 billion in 2025, according to USTR.

After the hearing, Greer was set to travel to Mexico City for the next round of trade talks with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Secretary of the Economy Marcelo Ebrard.

Greer told lawmakers agricultural trade remains central to those talks, pointing to Mexico's antidumping investigation on U.S. pork exports.

"If they take action on pork, the consequences for them could be quite challenging given their dependence on us," Greer said.

He also tied progress in the talks to Mexico honoring a 1944 treaty requiring it to send Rio Grande water to the U.S. for Texas agriculture.

"The president is going to have a hard time agreeing to renewal or even revisions if Mexico isn't playing ball in all areas," Greer said, referring to President Donald Trump. "And the water treaty is one of them."

Greer's testimony came days before the administration's 10% global tariff, imposed under a statute limited to 150 days, is set to expire Friday.

Asked whether the administration would pivot to a new tariff structure, Greer declined to give a timeline.

"We're not focused on a particular timeline," he said. "We're focused on fulfilling the legal and statutory requirements."

Greer was similarly noncommittal on whether a new proclamation could reinstate the duties.

"You all are just going to have to stay tuned," Greer told reporters. "You're going to be busy the next few days, probably."

Trump signed three proclamations Monday imposing the 50% tariff on a detailed list of Canadian imports, invoking a U.S. tariff policy from 1930 that allows charges of up to 50% on countries found to discriminate against U.S. commerce.

The administration says the move targets Canadian treatment of American autos, alcohol, and dairy.