• Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Robert Garcia are investigating whether the Trump administration delayed the Gordie Howe International Bridge opening to benefit billionaire donor Matthew Moroun, who owns the competing Ambassador Bridge.
  • The $4.7 billion publicly owned bridge will open July 27 after Canada and the United States reached a toll and operations deal on July 10.
  • Moroun donated $1 million to a Trump political action committee in January and met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in February; hours later Trump threatened on social media not to open the bridge.
  • Democratic Senate candidates in Michigan have made the delay a campaign issue, with ads and statements linking it to what they call donor-driven corruption.

Bridge set to open July 27 after toll dispute resolved

The Gordie Howe International Bridge, a publicly owned span connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, was set to open in early June after eight years of construction. A celebratory ribbon-cutting was abruptly canceled amid a dispute between U.S. and Canadian officials. On July 10, Canada announced it had reached a deal with the United States, and the bridge is now scheduled to open July 27.

The delay drew sharp scrutiny from Democrats, who accuse the administration of blocking the opening to protect the business interests of Matthew Moroun, the billionaire owner of the Ambassador Bridge. The Ambassador Bridge, North America’s busiest international crossing, handles an estimated 3 million trucks annually, with Moroun collecting up to $100 per crossing. The 93-year-old span is frequently congested and has been cited for safety violations in recent decades.

Moroun donated $1 million to a Trump political action committee in January. In February, he met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Hours later, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, threatening not to open the Gordie Howe bridge unless the United States received compensation from Canada. Trump’s post demanded that “U.S. should own half the project” and said he would block the opening “until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given.” The United States already owns half the bridge under a 2012 agreement; Canada paid for construction, and Michigan and Canada will jointly operate it, splitting toll revenues 50-50 after Canada is repaid.

Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Robert Garcia are investigating the episode. Tlaib, whose district includes southwest Detroit where both bridges sit, and Garcia sent a letter to Moroun in February accusing him of trying to “derail 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 letter states.

The bridge has become fodder in Michigan’s closely watched U.S. Senate race. Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow released ads accusing Trump of blocking the bridge to aid a donor. The Michigan Democratic Party chair, Curtis Hertel, called it “Trump’s plan to sabotage Michigan’s economy.”

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told the Senate appropriations committee on June 13 that his department has “personnel dedicated, ready to move” to staff the U.S. entry plaza at the Gordie Howe bridge.

The dispute unfolded amid broader trade friction between the U.S. and Canada. Trump did not renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement by a July 1 deadline, and tariffs and other trade issues have generated tension. In February, a Trump spokesperson told the Detroit Free Press that the president “has consistently and vocally stood up for American interests – including against Canada.”