Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia urged the Trump Administration to confront the economic consequences of President Trump's tariffs. Canada is Virginia's second-largest trade partner and single-largest export market, she said.
Virginia exported $2.9 billion in goods to Canada in 2025, and $19 billion in total to all trade partners. In 2023, Virginia goods exports supported an estimated 73,000 jobs across the state.
Since the start of President Trump's second term, costs have increased for families across Virginia by an average of $2,900, according to the governor. Last year, Virginia's largest and third-largest private industries—agriculture and forestry—exported $3.13 billion in products, representing a decline from $3.44 billion in 2024.
Spanberger sent letters to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, outlining harm caused to Virginia's largest industries by the administration's tariff policies. She wrote that the tariffs have "directly contributed to a marked decline in Virginia's agricultural and forestry exports" and that small businesses "operate on thin margins and have very little capacity to absorb sustained cost increases from tariffs on imported goods."
In a separate letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, she urged him to focus on restoring market access for Virginia agricultural and manufacturing exporters. She warned that "when Canada responds with further retaliatory tariffs in September, the competitiveness of Virginia's exports will suffer significantly."