White House worried about Ambassador Bridge blockade disrupting auto production

Washington — The White House said Wednesday it's "watching very closely" the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge by protesters in Canada, stressing the risk it poses to disrupting auto production, agricultural exports and to workers who need to cross the border. 

More:What to know about the traffic delays at Ambassador Bridge, trucker protest over COVID mandate

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the administration is coordinating with and in close touch with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, auto companies, Customs and Border Protection officials, as well as Canadian counterparts to monitor the situation. 

"The Ambassador Bridge is Canada's busiest link to the United States and accounts for about 25% of trade between the two countries," Psaki said, "and so the blockade poses a risk to supply chains for the auto industry because the bridge is a key conduit for motor vehicles components and parts."

Protests in Canada have prompted closures at the Ambassador Bridge since Monday, causing headaches for commercial drivers and traffic on Michigan roadways. As of Wednesday afternoon, the border was open to U.S.-bound traffic but closed to Canadian-bound travel.

The city of Windsor said about 100 people are protesting at the bridge Wednesday. In Ottawa, demonstrations staged by the Freedom Truck Convoy have shut down parts of the capital city for more than 10 days, with protesters demanding vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions be lifted.

White House homeland security adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall convened a meeting about the Ambassador Bridge's blockade on Wednesday, Psaki said. 

"The President is focused on this and we are working very closely with the team at DHS, with Canadian officials and others to do everything we can to alleviate the impact," Psaki said.

White House officials are communicating with automakers about what auto parts coming from Canada could be delayed due to the disruption at the border crossing. They are also tracking potential disruptions to U.S. agricultural exports from Michigan into Canada, Psaki said.

She noted that Customs and Border officials have worked with Canadian counterparts to re-route traffic from the Ambassador Bridge to the Blue Water Bridge. 

"There's still a lengthy delay, but it is enabling some of these trucks and transports to get through," Psaki said. "We're working to ensure there's movement."

She noted they opened all nine commercial lanes including a fast lane at the bridge to process diverted traffic.

But protests had been threatened for Wednesday in Sarnia on the Canadian side of the bridge, according to media reports.

"We support peaceful protest, but we have concerns when those protests turn violent," Psaki said.

"And certainly I think it's important for everyone in Canada and the United States to understand what the potential impact of this blockage is on workers, on the supply chain and that is where we are most focused."

John Walsh, president and CEO of the Michigan Manufacturers Association, told The Detroit News his organization is fielding questions and concerns from its members and lobbying elected officials for a resolution.

“As an association, we’ve been in contact with our senators, as well as with the governor," he said. "She’s been working hard with the Biden administration to convey the importance of getting this resolved and hopefully bringing some pressure on the Canadian government.”

If a resolution is not reached quickly, Walsh is worried factory shutdowns and temporary layoffs could begin within the next few days because of the manufacturing industry's reliance on a just-in-time supply model.

Several lawmakers on Capitol Hill said they were monitoring the protests and reaching out to U.S. Homeland Security officials Wednesday. 

The onus is on Canada to determine a solution to the strain because the protests are challenging a Canadian policy, said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, even as the supply chain disruptions impact Michigan and the U.S. as a whole.

Whitmer and the Canadian government are working on easing the strain, she added, including having some of the nurses working in hospitals on either side of the border stay overnight rather than commute.

“It’s a complicated situation. … It’s hospital personnel, it’s auto supply chain, it’s many things,” she said. “But ultimately, the Canadian government has to decide how they’re going to respond.”

Rep. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township, said the situation presents a “very, very serious” potential impediment to what's already a delicate supply chain.

“I trust that the Canadian authorities will not treat this as simply a local police matter of Windsor, Ontario or Ottawa,” Levin said.

“These are obviously protests about national policy, and we need to find a way to afford people — truckers and everybody else — the right to protest without undermining the economy, causing more supply chain problems, or adding to inflationary pressures.”

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said his office is looking into ways to alleviate the congestion, including working with the Canadian government. 

“We’re clearly very worried about the backup because trade is just so integral to our economy and the Canadian economy,” Peters said.

He declined to weigh in on the vaccine mandate that the truckers are protesting. 

“I would hope the Canadian government could work it out as quickly as possible,” Peters said.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, noted the conversations happening between the Canadians and the White House and with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“They found a way to effectively protest. I would not be shocked if we saw those kinds of protests in the United States because they have been so effective,” Slotkin said.

“But the truth is there is cargo that needs to get through, and so I'm not sure what we can do to get some sort of agreement to allow traffic to go back. But I'm hoping that the Canadian government informs us quickly that they've said 'uncle' and they're going to do something to get us back to full health.”

A “silver lining” of the situation, she added, is that more people are realizing that Michigan is where one-fourth of U.S.-Canadian road trade crosses and “recognizing what Michigan is to our economy.”

mburke@detroitnews.com

Staff Writer Jordyn Grzelewski contributed.