The delayed opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is gradually becoming a campaign issue for Democrats in the U.S. midterm elections — and not just in affected states like Michigan.
In campaign ads and social media posts, candidates are tying the issue to U.S. President Donald Trump’s alleged corruption, urging voters to “follow the money” from a billionaire family that owns a competing cross-border bridge.
“There’s a brand new bridge between Detroit and Canada that is finished, it’s ready, and it’s sitting there empty because Donald Trump will not let it open,” U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, who’s running for re-election in California’s 49th congressional district, said in a video posted last week.
Levin said the $6.4-billion bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit “would feed the auto industry that supports jobs in all 50 states.”
“Canada paid for the whole thing. Every dollar. The U.S. already owns half of the bridge for free,” he continued. “We got a multi-billion dollar bridge at no cost, and it’s finished.
“So why is it closed? Well, follow the money.”
A planned ribbon-cutting event last month for the Gordie Howe bridge was cancelled at the last minute over what Prime Minister Mark Carney called “technical issues” that were being worked through between Canada and the U.S.
The New York Times has reported that billionaire Matthew Moroun, whose family owns the competing Ambassador Bridge, met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hours before Trump issued a social media post in February threatening to block the bridge’s opening if the U.S. wasn’t “compensated.”
A White House official told Global News last month that Trump’s position on the bridge “has not changed” despite outreach from Canadian government officials, including Carney.
U.S. campaign finance records show Moroun donated US$1 million to Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., in January.
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“So let’s recap: a billionaire writes a cheque, gets a meeting with Lutnick, the president delivers, and then American workers and businesses and our closest ally pay the price for a free bridge sitting behind a padlock,” Levin said in his video.
“My friends, it’s corruption in plain sight. A government should work for the people, not for whoever writes the biggest cheque. Open the bridge.”
The connection between Moroun’s campaign contribution and the bridge delays was also highlighted in a campaign ad released last month by Michigan Democratic candidate Mallory McMorrow, who’s running to be her party’s nominee for the U.S. Senate.
In the ad, filmed in front of the Gordie Howe bridge, McMorrow argues that Trump is blocking the opening because “the billionaire family that owns the other bridge gave him a million bucks.”
“I’m Mallory McMorrow and I have one message for the president: Open this damn bridge,” she says.
A White House official told Global News on background Thursday that the issue of the bridge’s delayed opening was no longer “relevant,” and referred questions to the U.S. Commerce Department. Global News has asked Lutnick’s office for comment.
Despite the added public pressure, Canadian officials have been tight-lipped on whether any progress has been made in talks with the U.S. to get the Gordie Howe bridge open.
“We know this is an important bridge that has been supported by Canadian taxpayers, and in that sense, its opening is important for the country,” Industry Minister Melanie Joly told reporters in Montreal on Monday.
“We’ll continue to engage with the U.S. on this very issue. (Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic) LeBlanc has been in talks, of course, with Howard Lutnick and (U.S. Trade Representative) Jamieson Greer, and also the prime minister has been in contact with President Trump.”
Carney has insisted there is “no big drama” behind the bridge’s delayed opening, but has not said what “technical issues” need to be resolved.
McMorrow’s ad was released within a heated Democratic primary battle over who will face off in November’s general election against Republican Mike Rogers, a Trump ally who has argued that he’ll make sure the bridge is opened if he’s elected to the U.S. Senate.
That video and Levin’s are also part of a broader effort by Democrats to highlight affordability and economic issues while painting Trump and Republicans as out of touch and beholden to rich donors.
Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight Committee have demanded answers from both Lutnick and Moroun on their reported meeting on Feb. 9 and efforts to delay or stop the Gordie Howe bridge from opening. It’s not clear if either Lutnick or Moroun have provided the requested documentation.
Global News has repeatedly reached out to Moroun and his businesses for comment since February but has not heard back.
The Moroun family are longtime Republican donors who have been fighting the Gordie Howe bridge for years, arguing the new crossing will lead to reduced toll revenue on the Ambassador Bridge.
Lobbying records show the Moroun-owned Detroit International Bridge Company spent over US$2.5 million to lobby the first Trump administration on “issues related to construction and operation of international bridges.” Since Trump returned to office last year, the company has spent another US$250,000 on lobbying.
Trump endorsed the bridge project in 2017 during his first term in office.
—With files from Global’s Reggie Cecchini and The Canadian Press
Trump isn’t the problem it’s Carney you retards 😂 wake up and smell the coffee people
How in the world is there an international bridge in private hands. This should only be in federal governments hands. For this reason. Extort the bridge back to the federal government. Half to Canada and half to USA. Plain and simple.
The only reason this bridge is being stalled is because it’s a last ditch effort from the owners of the Ambassador bridge to stop it.
@ Roy Thurman
Sorry pal, another Trump supporter spewing lies.
The tolls on the Gordie Howe bridge will be lower than the Ambassador.
Like your Living God Trump you live in a fantasy world of lies.
Trump lost his stupid war to a bunch of camel riders in Iran.
Now he has to pay some ayatollah billions!
He scares no one but his own people.
Hey Thurman, Canada didn’t pay for “most” of the bridge idiot. Canada paid the whole 4 billion.
Try again trumper. lol….
Use the Tunnel folks.
Maroun family bribed the bribe taker in chief trump and all the papers are there to prove it.
Just close the Canadian side of Maroun’s old decrepid Ambassador bridge.
What will matter is that Independents are turning against trump in the polls because of grifting like this.
Follow the money? Canada was going to change massive tolls on US shipments going to Canada. The USA complained and Canada told the USA to “buzz off, we paid for most of the bridge”. So the USA said “well get stuffed, we will not allow the bridge to open to the USA”. Again Canada is a poor trading partner with the USA.
We need to follow the money. There are conservative MP’s who are visiting the US and meeting with Trump administration officials.
Simple, close the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge for ‘safety inspections’ until they open the Gordie Howe bridge.
After 11 years of federal incompetence, Canadians are expecting a different result? That’s the definition of insanity folks! Alberta, strong & free. All those tax dollars up in smoke. $1.5T and counting.
It’s all down to 1 super greedy US billionaire family who feel the need to steal more $$$
Time to float the idea of naming it something deeply irritating to the current president.
A lot of Trump supporters here today. So Canada paid for the bridge, using American labor and supplies on the American side. After tolls have paid for the bridge it will be Half owned by the state of Michigan.And Trump says we owe America for everything they’ve paid for this. 0%.
Trump is the most corrupt President in history, and his followers, including Canadians are the most stupid people in history.
Anyone care to prove me wrong?
Maroun’s probably right that the new crossing will lead to reduced toll revenue on the Ambassador Bridge. Part of this is because the Gordie Howe bridge is planning to charge a lower toll than the Ambassador Bridge, and part of it is because the Gordie Howe Bridge will be more convenient for vehicles that wish to avoid Detroit.
But the Maroun family has been making an extortionate amount of money from the Ambassador Bridge for 116 years–more for instance, than the bridge at Sarnia charges. Many truckers go out of their way to cross at Sarnia because the backed-up congestion at the Ambassador Bridge is so great (it can take up to 4 hours to get across) and because the Sarnia tolls are lower.
If the Marouns were so concerned to keep all tolls in their grubby little paws, why didn’t they widen the bridge so more trucks could cross in a shorter time?
The 4 T’s….Time to target trump
Technical Issue Resolution: Block the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge with huge concrete blocks. See how fast the Howe Bridge opens after that!
@Billy Graham
the article is about Democrats whining about lobbying.
I didn’t think any people could be as dumb as my fellow Canadians, but Americans really take the cake, with this criminal for a president
Fun article after tracing the billions in Fraud through USAID.
Red, blue. Two sides of the same dirty penny. Suckers.
FOLLOW RIGHT INTO THE TAX PAYERS POCKETS
I think, despite the inconvenience it would cause for everybody, the long needed road repairs for the access road for the existing bridge should be undertaken. I’m sure the repairs would not need to take too long. Perhaps you could even celebrate the opening/reopening of the two bridges at the same time.
Billy Graham, the last paragraph mentions lobbying. Maybe you need to lay off the booze?
@paul Coker:
What the hell are you babbling about?
This is about the Gordie Howe bridge.
Stay sober tomorrow.
Love trump.
He is wrecking the GOP in record time.
Mid-terms will show independents voting blue.
Democrats = 🤡
They needed something
They can’t start rioting until after the midterms
Why would I follow the money, your job as the opposition should be following the money and proving that the republicans did any wrong.
Levin needs to get his facts straight or reword his statement. Yes, Canada paid for the bridge but, we also receive the toll revenue from the U.S side until the U.S. pays their portion of the bridge. Canada did not build the bridge for the U.S for free, the U.S. couldn’t afford to at the time.
Just like with gerrymandering and ballot harvesting, the Democrats only hate lobbying when the other side benefits.
Democrats are hypocrites.