Hassett Says US-Canada Trade Talks Are Nearing a Deal

Kevin Hassett, the top White House economic adviser, said Saturday that US-Canada trade negotiations have "picked up" and are "gathering steam," according to Bloomberg. The comments came two days after the Trump administration modified Canadian tariffs to benefit certain Maine businesses, a change pushed by Senator Susan Collins.

What exactly did Hassett say?

Hassett described the state of talks in brief but pointed terms, telling reporters the two sides are "very close" to a deal, Bloomberg reported. He did not offer a timetable for when an agreement might be finalized or specify which outstanding issues remain unresolved.

How does the Maine tariff change fit into this?

The tariff modification benefiting Maine businesses landed just before Hassett's remarks, and Bloomberg's reporting links the two developments directly, noting the adviser spoke "two days after" the administration adjusted the Canadian tariff structure. Collins, who represents Maine, had lobbied for the change on behalf of businesses in her state that depend on cross-border trade with Canada.

The sequence — a state-specific carve-out followed almost immediately by an upbeat assessment of the broader negotiation — suggests the Maine adjustment may have functioned as a smaller, resolvable piece of a larger set of disputes between Washington and Ottawa. Bloomberg's report does not detail which Canadian goods or Maine industries were affected by the modified tariffs, nor does it specify the size of the change.

Why does a senator's lobbying matter here?

Collins' involvement underscores how individual lawmakers can shape tariff policy on a narrow, constituency-specific basis even while national-level trade talks continue. Her push for relief on behalf of Maine businesses predates and, according to Bloomberg's framing, may have helped set the stage for Hassett's comments about overall momentum in the US-Canada relationship.

What is still unknown about the deal?

Bloomberg's dispatch is the only sourcing available on Hassett's remarks, and it does not include the substance of what a final US-Canada agreement would cover — tariff rates, product categories, or enforcement terms are not specified. Hassett's characterization that talks are "very close" is his own assessment; Bloomberg's report does not include a competing or confirming account from Canadian officials, and no countervailing statement from Ottawa is referenced in the available reporting.

What happens next?

No formal signing date or announcement window was given. Hassett's language — "picked up" and "gathering steam" — points to accelerating momentum rather than a finished text. Markets and businesses with exposure to US-Canada trade, including the Maine firms that prompted this week's tariff change, are likely to watch for any formal readout from either government confirming the terms Hassett alluded to.

For now, the only on-record confirmation of the talks' status comes from Hassett himself, as reported by Bloomberg.