The Gordie Howe International Bridge is expected to open this year in Detroit. (Courtesy of the Gordie Howe International Bridge)

A bill to prohibit the Trump administration from interfering with the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge crossing between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario was introduced Thursday by members of Michigan’s Democratic delegation in Congress.

The Michigan-Canada Partnership Act was introduced and sponsored by U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids; Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor; Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham; Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit; Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit; and Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City.

“Canada and the United States have shared a strong, trusted partnership for centuries, and in Michigan, that relationship matters every single day,” Scholten said in a statement. “Canada is our state’s largest trading partner, and projects like the Gordie Howe International Bridge represent what’s possible when we work together across borders to prioritize jobs, commerce, and cooperation.”

The move came after President Donald Trump threatened the bridge’s opening on Monday, and it was later learned on Tuesday that the Moroun family, which privately owns the Gordie Howe crossing’s main competitor, the Ambassador Bridge, was lobbying the White House directly through a firm close to Trump’s orbit.

It was also reported that the family met with U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick just hours before Trump went on a strange tirade targeting the bridge under the guise of his ongoing trade dispute with Canada.

The lobbying effort apparently led to Trump’s White House also proclaiming its interest in seeking a cut of the bridge tolls collected on the United States side of the bridge, which would buck the original agreement reached in 2012 between former President Barack Obama, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and the Canadian government.

The U.S. partners wanted the bridge but didn’t want to pay for it, and Canada footed the nearly $5 billion construction bill. Per the agreement, the bridge tolls would pay back the money to Canada, with interest.

Snyder has since come out against Trump and has called for the bridge to open as expected within the next few months.

On Wednesday, Michigan Advance through campaign finance records learned that several key Republicans supporting the president’s move had received large campaign donations throughout the years from the Moroun family. That included those who chose not to speak against the president’s musings, as well.

Despite those revelations, Trump appears to be unfazed.

The bill put forward by the Michigan Democrats in Congress would prevent him from meddling further, although it faces a tough climb with the rest of the Republican Michigan delegation in support of Trump, and the fact that the Congress has a slim albeit strong GOP majority.

Dingell, in a statement, said Trump won Michigan in 2024 but is now turning his back on the state and the working people who put him in office.

“Instead of fighting for Michigan workers and our economy, he’s protecting his billionaire donors. In 2017, Trump himself endorsed the bridge, calling it a ‘vital economic link between our two countries.’ Nothing has changed,” Dingell said. “This bill simply prevents federal interference in its opening and operation, and I’m proud to lead this effort alongside the entire Michigan House Democratic delegation. It’s shameful that the President continues to put personal interests ahead of American workers.”

Stevens said Trump was “unsurprisingly” throwing good-paying jobs in Michigan and billions in economic growth aside with his posturing.

“I know the importance of Michigan manufacturing and that’s why I’m demanding Trump drop this reckless threat, let the bridge open, and stop playing games with our jobs and our economy,” Stevens said in a statement.

Tlaib, whose constituents in Detroit would be among the most affected, put the blame at the feet of not only Trump but also Matthew Moroun, the bridge’s primary stakeholder and son of the late trucking magnate Manuel “Matty” Moroun.

McDonald Rivet said the bridge has been a U.S. priority for some time, as well as a Michigan-specific solution to expanded commerce with Canada.

“At the last minute, the President wants to derail this hugely important project because a billionaire campaign donor told him to,” McDonald Rivet said in a statement. “This kind of blatant corruption hurts working families, and needs to end. For the sake of Michigan’s economy, let’s pass this bill.”

“It’s no surprise that Matthew Moroun, owner of the dangerously obsolete Ambassador Bridge, met with the Trump Administration mere hours before the president absurdly threatened to block this safer, more efficient bridge from opening,” Tlaib said in a statement. “Michiganders and the American people will not be denied this crucial new crossing by the White House’s blatant corruption.”

Thanedar, who also represents Detroit, said Trump’s threats “spit in the face” of the city’s residents who are awaiting the Gordie Howe bridge’s opening.

“We were getting a bridge at no cost to us, but Trump is recklessly threatening to throw all of that away for no other reason than to inflict pain on Michiganders and Canadians alike. This awful decision would kill jobs, stifle transportation, and increase costs in Michigan,” Thanedar said.

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