Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) Co-Chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and a senior member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture, and Defense released the following statement in response to President Trump's February 9, 2026 statement in which he said he would not allow the opening of the $6 Billion Gordie Howe Bridge between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

"Degrading the Gordie Howe Bridge is just the latest example of this Administration driving the car backwards, hurting an economy that was already straining America's workers. The attacks on our healthcare, educational systems, and treasured alliances that our nation has built at great human cost over our shared history may be theatre for the President, but it is once again our workers across the Heartland that will face the brunt of the pain."

"Canada has paid entirely for this extraordinary suspension bridge. Our Great Lakes freshwater economy is the third largest in the world. We maintain our continent's longest binational coastline. Once the bridge opens, it will revolutionize multimodal trade between our nations. The Canadians are our Allies, our friends, our partners in building North America forward. This engineering masterpiece will not only create additional cross border trade between Windsor and Detroit - it will galvanize trade in Ohio and America's Heartland, opening up the entire Miami and Maumee Valley's and transport of agriculture, goods, and cars across major expressways, rail lines, ports, and the I-80, I-90, I-75 nexus.

"Our Great Lakes economy is like no other with its industrial and agricultural bounty, the largest body of freshwater on earth, the longest US coastline with numerous ports, energy resources, cultural endowments, and unrivaled, natural beauty.

"If the President is just flailing for another distraction to divert public attention from the horror of the Epstein scandal, I would ask that he avoid doing further harm to our important trade relationships to Canada and join me in celebrating the marvel that is the Gordie Howe Bridge, brought to us by the dedicated partnership of two great Allied nations and the men women of the US and Canadian Building Trades.

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