Mike Rogers and Michigan's Auto Industry: What the Tariffs and the Electric Vehicle Credit Repeal He Backed Cost GM, Auto Parts Workers and Michigan

Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, praised Trump's tariffs in September 2025, saying "the most important thing about tariffs is getting back to Made in America." Tariffs on cars and trucks bound for Michigan have since cost an estimated $10 billion, General Motors paid more than $3 billion in tariffs in 2025, and Michigan lost about 4,000 auto parts jobs in the year ending in June 2026.

Rogers also celebrated the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which ended the $7,500 electric vehicle credit after September 30, 2025; GM then laid off more than a thousand workers at Factory Zero in Detroit. In August 2026 he called tariffs "necessary" after the 50 percent tariffs on Canada, Michigan's neighbor across the Detroit River, and his campaign declined to comment on them to ABC News.

What It Cost: Michigan's Automakers and Auto Workers Under the Tariffs and the Credit Repeal Mike Rogers Backed

• Tariff bill on vehicles and parts. Tariffs on cars and trucks imported into Michigan have cost an estimated $10 billion since January 2025, the largest category in the state, by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation's tracker; auto parts added another $5 billion and steel, aluminum and other metals about $1.5 billion through June 2026, the Detroit Metro Times reported from the same analysis.
• Auto parts jobs. Michigan lost about 4,000 auto parts manufacturing jobs, and about 7,000 manufacturing jobs in all, in the year ending in June 2026, Bridge Michigan reported from federal data.
• Factory Zero layoffs. General Motors cut production at Factory Zero, its Detroit-Hamtramck electric vehicle plant, to a single shift and laid off more than a thousand workers there in October 2025, WDET reported.
• Detroit Axle closure. In Ferndale, Detroit Axle closed a warehouse, blaming tariff-driven disruptions in its auto parts supply chain, and 102 employees lost their jobs permanently, CBS Detroit reported.

Mike Rogers's Statements on Auto Tariffs, Canada and Electric Vehicles

• Rogers Praised the Tariffs in September 2025 as Tariffs Cost GM More Than $3 Billion. Mike Rogers told Automotive Daily News that "the most important thing about tariffs is getting back to Made in America," his campaign posted on September 24, 2025, and Bridge Michigan reported that in 2025 Rogers called Trump's tariff strategy "masterful." Tariffs cost General Motors more than $3 billion, gross, in 2025 and account for the majority of the company's year-over-year decline in profits, Quartz reported from GM's annual results. Michigan economist Patrick Anderson estimated that tariffs cost U.S. auto companies about $12.5 billion in 2025, The Guardian reported, and University of Michigan forecasters projected in May 2025 that the auto and parts tariffs would reduce Michigan payrolls by roughly 13,000 jobs over the next several years.
• Rogers Celebrated the Law That Ended the $7,500 Electric Vehicle Credit; GM Then Took Billions in Charges. Mike Rogers posted "Historic tax cuts for hard-working families! It's a great day to be an American!" on July 3, 2025, the day the House gave the One Big Beautiful Bill Act final approval. Section 70502 of the law ends the clean vehicle credit, worth $7,500 for a new electric vehicle, for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. In January 2026 the Associated Press reported that General Motors would take charges of about $6 billion as sales of electric vehicles sputtered after the U.S. cut tax incentives to buy them, after a $1.6 billion charge in October 2025; GM's October layoffs at Factory Zero in Detroit followed the expiration of federal tax credits for EV buyers, WDET reported.
• Rogers Called Tariffs "Necessary" After the 50 Percent Tariffs on Canada That Most Michiganders Opposed. On August 29, 2026, after Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, Mike Rogers's campaign said "tariffs are necessary, but are not a one-size-fits-all solution" and that he would work with the President on a trade deal with Canada. Every day about $1 billion worth of goods crosses the river between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, and by a 63%-31% margin Michigan residents opposed tariffs on Canadian goods in a June 2026 Epic-MRA poll, The Guardian reported. The United Auto Workers, which has 350,000 members in Michigan, said it "rejects" the escalation.
• Rogers Blamed GM's Losses on "EVs Nobody Wanted"; GM's Charges Followed the End of the Tax Credit He Celebrated. On October 20, 2026, Mike Rogers said General Motors was buying back stock "Because GM lost billions investing in EVs nobody wanted." The Associated Press reported that GM's electric vehicle charges came after the U.S. cut tax incentives to buy them and also eased auto emissions standards; the tax credit ended under the law Rogers celebrated.
• Rogers Said Michigan Was "Adding Jobs as Business Reshores Through Tariffs"; Michigan Lost Auto Parts Jobs. On March 18, 2026, Mike Rogers said Michiganders were "adding jobs as business reshores through tariffs." In the year ending in June 2026, Michigan lost auto parts manufacturing jobs, Bridge Michigan reported from federal data, and the state's total factory employment fell over the same year.
• Rogers Declined to Comment on the New Canada Tariffs to ABC News, Semafor and The Guardian in August 2026. Mike Rogers's campaign declined to comment on the new round of tariffs on Canada to ABC News on August 24, 2026, did not respond to Semafor on August 27, and did not respond to The Guardian on August 28, which reported that he had supported the tariffs but had been silent on the latest escalation. Canada announced it would impose retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion of U.S. goods starting September 8, 2026, The Guardian reported.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mike Rogers on Michigan auto industry

Last updated: 2026-10-25

Candidate Records