As a newly registered voter in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, I want to commend first-term Congressman Jeff Hurd for his recent vote – one of only six Republicans – to rescind the Trump Administration's punishing and nonsensical 25% tariffs on our northern neighbor and military ally, Canada.
I'm referencing House Joint Resolution 72, passed Feb. 11, 2026, in the 119th Congress. That vote has since been validated by the Supreme Court's ruling that the tariffs were illegal. Hurd was right before the Court weighed in, and he's right now.
Because a presidential veto made the rescission symbolic, the pain is still being felt. Fifteen American states account for more than 30% of product exports to Canada, with Colorado among the leaders. We're talking lumber, minerals, coal, paper, produce, beef, machinery, computers, and chemicals. Small businesses, boutique food producers, and specialty shops are hurting too. In places like Delta County, late-ripening peaches get shipped northward in padded boxes – that market matters.
Trump has vowed retribution against the six who voted across party lines. However admirable, Hurd's defection is unlikely to be forgotten come 2026. But that shouldn't stop any elected official from doing the right thing. He did, and he deserves credit for it.
Mike Bonner
Delta
