A $4.7 billion international bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario sat unopened for months this year, and Democrats are arguing the Trump administration deliberately stalled it as payback to a politically connected billionaire with financial skin in the game.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge was supposed to open in early June after eight years of construction. Canada footed the bill. Michigan and Ottawa agreed to jointly own and operate it, splitting toll revenue 50-50 once Canada recovers its costs. But the ribbon-cutting never happened. Instead, a dispute between US and Canadian officials dragged on until July 10, when the two countries finally announced a deal. The bridge opened July 27.
The holdup caught the attention of House Democrats, particularly Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib, who saw something troubling in the timeline: Matthew Moroun, a wealthy transportation magnate and Trump donor, owns the competing Ambassador Bridge just across the river. That facility, North America's busiest international crossing, generates enormous profit from trucks crossing into Canada. Moroun stands to lose significant revenue if the new Howe Bridge draws traffic away.
Moroun, now 93, inherited his transportation empire from his late father Manuel. For two decades, his family fought the Howe Bridge project in every arena, from courts to state legislatures to campaign donations. In January, Moroun cut a $1 million check to a Trump political action committee. In February, he met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would not allow the bridge to open unless the US received better terms.
The Ambassador Bridge currently handles as many as 3 million truck crossings annually, with Moroun collecting up to $100 per vehicle. Yet the 93-year-old structure is chronically congested, dangerous for emergency responders, and has faced safety violations. The gridlock is so severe that many truckers bypass it entirely, using a tunnel or traveling an hour north to Port Huron.
Under the new deal reached in July, the Trump administration won veto power over any toll reductions below regional averages on the Howe Bridge. Previously, Canada controlled pricing unilaterally. That change directly protects Moroun's revenue stream by preventing the new bridge from undercutting his rates.
House Oversight Committee members Garcia and Tlaib sent Moroun a February letter accusing him of leveraging his donor status to tank the project. "It appears that you may have used your influence as a donor to President Donald Trump to jeopardize American commerce to protect your company's bottom line," the lawmakers wrote.
Trump and his team offered shifting rationales for blocking the opening. The president claimed the US should own half the project, though it already does under the 2012 bilateral agreement. He suggested the nation needed "full compensation" for what it gave Canada and at one point floated requiring extra fees on Chinese vehicles as a condition for opening the bridge. In February, he made the bizarre claim that China would "terminate all ice hockey in Canada" and cancel the Stanley Cup.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told the Senate appropriations committee in June that staffing for the US entry plaza was ready to go, suggesting no operational obstacle existed.
Democrats have turned the delay into a campaign weapon ahead of the 2026 midterms. Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel called it "Trump's plan to sabotage Michigan's economy," arguing the chaos would push up costs and eliminate jobs in a critical swing state. Abdul El-Sayed, running for a Democratic Senate nomination, tied the holdup to Republican frontrunner Mike Rogers in campaign ads, calling it evidence of "collusion" and "corruption."
The bridge dispute sits within a larger trade war between the US and Canada. Trump allowed the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement to lapse on July 1, and tariffs have created mounting friction between the nations. Observers suggest the bridge may be a bargaining chip in that broader clash.
Author James Rodriguez: "You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to notice the timeline here, and the Democrats have a real story to tell on this one."
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