Discussion · Senate
Jacky Rosen Democrat
“I want the Senate to pass a resolution calling for an end to the trade war with Canada. Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada are hurting Nevada. Canadian tourism to Las Vegas dropped by 17 percent, which hurts our hotel and restaurant workers. The tariffs are also driving up prices for businesses and families, and Canada's response threatens 1.6 billion dollars in Nevada exports.”
“Mr. President, today I rise to speak up about Donald Trump’s reckless trade war against Canada and the impact it is having on my State of Nevada. Because of Trump’s childish fight with our neighbors, tourism is down, prices are up, and Canada is suddenly rethinking its relationship with our country. Let me tell you why this matters to my State. Canada is the No. 1 source of international visitors to Las Vegas. In 2024, nearly 1.5 million Canadians visited Nevada. It helped boost our tourism economy and the small businesses that depend on it. And Canada is also one of Nevada’s top trading partners. In fact, Nevada exports approximately $1.6 billion worth of goods to Canada. So think about this: $1.6 billion of revenue coming to businesses in my State of Nevada to further contribute to our economy. And this is exactly why a good, healthy relationship between Canada and the United States is important for Nevada and Nevada’s economy, Nevada’s families. Donald Trump is doing everything in his power to harm our relationship with Canada. He is hurting Nevada families. He is hurting Nevada businesses along the way. And one of the first actions that Trump took since returning to the White House was beginning a reckless and erratic trade war that has resulted in higher prices for American businesses, American families, for all of us, every single one of us. And to date, he has imposed tariffs on many items we buy from Canada with higher rates on products like building materials, brand-name prescription drugs, alcohol, and paper products. I have heard from restaurant owners paying more for paper towels and home builders paying more for materials. These costs not only make it impossible for our business owners to plan ahead, but then they get passed on to families. Most recently, Trump utilized a never--never-before-used trade authority. I want to emphasize this: never-before-used trade authority to target Canada, applying 50-percent tariffs on a wide array of Canadian goods. In retaliation, Canada recently imposed their own tariffs on goods they import from the United States, including from my State of Nevada. Remember the $1.6 billion in Nevada goods that we export to Canada? Well, that number is going to be reduced because of these retaliatory tariffs. Just yesterday, Trump’s ban on the import of many Canadian goods has gone into effect, restricting Americans’ freedom--restricting our freedom--to buy what we want to buy and making all of our prices go up. The back-and-forth tariffs, they are a disaster, but they only tell one side of the story of Trump’s hostilities toward Canada. Trump’s childish attacks on Canada included threats to annex it as the United States’ 51 State; its references to the Canadian Prime Minister as ``Governor’’; Trump has tried to rename Lake Ontario to ``Lake America.’’ Trump even canceled trade negotiations because a Canadian television ad hurt his feelings. After a year and a half of this nonsense, where has Trump gotten us? Well, I can tell you where, because last year, Canadian tourism to Las Vegas declined by 17 percent--you got that right, 17 percent. This contributed to an overall decline in tourism that made 2025 the worst nonpandemic drop in visitation for Las Vegas since we began tracking data. When we see a decline like this, it isn’t just a data point for us. Hospitality employs nearly a third of all workers in Nevada. So this means fewer guests in our hotel rooms, which leads to fewer shifts for housekeepers. It means fewer visits to our restaurants and less tip money for our servers and bartenders. It trickles down to less money for all of the hospitality workers and when they go home to the neighborhoods they live in, less money they can spend there. It is not only Nevada that is feeling this. According to the Canadian Government’s own data, total spending by Canadians in the United States declined by over $3 billion. Canadians themselves are pointing to Trump’s hostility as a reason for this decline. They are still traveling and spending money--Canadians are; they are just not coming to the United States. And this situation was 100 percent avoidable. None of this had to happen. So no one can argue with the facts. Tourism is down because of Trump’s trade war with Canada. Less money is being invested in our economy, and our small businesses are struggling to navigate expensive and constantly--constantly--changing conditions. That is why I am here today to pass a simple resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that Trump’s trade war against Canada must end. It must end to get our economy and the relationship with our northern neighbor back on track. I hope my colleagues look at the facts and agree. So as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 898 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.”
-
Speech in the House
Respect 97 of 100
This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “because a Canadian television ad hurt his feelings”.
See full analysis
Mr. President, today I rise to speak up about Donald Trump’s reckless trade war against Canada and the impact it is having on my State of Nevada. Because of Trump’s childish fight with our neighbors, tourism is down, prices are up, and Canada is suddenly rethinking its relationship with our country. Let me tell you why this matters to my State. Canada is the No. 1 source of international visitors to Las Vegas. In 2024, nearly 1.5 million Canadians visited Nevada. It helped boost our tourism economy and the small businesses that depend on it. And Canada is also one of Nevada’s top trading partners. In fact, Nevada exports approximately $1.6 billion worth of goods to Canada. So think about this: $1.6 billion of revenue coming to businesses in my State of Nevada to further contribute to our economy. And this is exactly why a good, healthy relationship between Canada and the United States is important for Nevada and Nevada’s economy, Nevada’s families. Donald Trump is doing everything in his power to harm our relationship with Canada. He is hurting Nevada families. He is hurting Nevada businesses along the way. And one of the first actions that Trump took since returning to the White House was beginning a reckless and erratic trade war that has resulted in higher prices for American businesses, American families, for all of us, every single one of us. And to date, he has imposed tariffs on many items we buy from Canada with higher rates on products like building materials, brand-name prescription drugs, alcohol, and paper products. I have heard from restaurant owners paying more for paper towels and home builders paying more for materials. These costs not only make it impossible for our business owners to plan ahead, but then they get passed on to families. Most recently, Trump utilized a never--never-before-used trade authority. I want to emphasize this: never-before-used trade authority to target Canada, applying 50-percent tariffs on a wide array of Canadian goods. In retaliation, Canada recently imposed their own tariffs on goods they import from the United States, including from my State of Nevada. Remember the $1.6 billion in Nevada goods that we export to Canada? Well, that number is going to be reduced because of these retaliatory tariffs. Just yesterday, Trump’s ban on the import of many Canadian goods has gone into effect, restricting Americans’ freedom--restricting our freedom--to buy what we want to buy and making all of our prices go up. The back-and-forth tariffs, they are a disaster, but they only tell one side of the story of Trump’s hostilities toward Canada. Trump’s childish attacks on Canada included threats to annex it as the United States’ 51 State; its references to the Canadian Prime Minister as ``Governor’’; Trump has tried to rename Lake Ontario to ``Lake America.’’ Trump even canceled trade negotiations because a Canadian television ad hurt his feelings. After a year and a half of this nonsense, where has Trump gotten us? Well, I can tell you where, because last year, Canadian tourism to Las Vegas declined by 17 percent--you got that right, 17 percent. This contributed to an overall decline in tourism that made 2025 the worst nonpandemic drop in visitation for Las Vegas since we began tracking data. When we see a decline like this, it isn’t just a data point for us. Hospitality employs nearly a third of all workers in Nevada. So this means fewer guests in our hotel rooms, which leads to fewer shifts for housekeepers. It means fewer visits to our restaurants and less tip money for our servers and bartenders. It trickles down to less money for all of the hospitality workers and when they go home to the neighborhoods they live in, less money they can spend there. It is not only Nevada that is feeling this. According to the Canadian Government’s own data, total spending by Canadians in the United States declined by over $3 billion. Canadians themselves are pointing to Trump’s hostility as a reason for this decline. They are still traveling and spending money--Canadians are; they are just not coming to the United States. And this situation was 100 percent avoidable. None of this had to happen. So no one can argue with the facts. Tourism is down because of Trump’s trade war with Canada. Less money is being invested in our economy, and our small businesses are struggling to navigate expensive and constantly--constantly--changing conditions. That is why I am here today to pass a simple resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that Trump’s trade war against Canada must end. It must end to get our economy and the relationship with our northern neighbor back on track. I hope my colleagues look at the facts and agree. So as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 898 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.