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WASHINGTON — U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been leading the charge in the Trump administration on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which has seen its opening delayed at the request of the United States, a White House official said Friday.
Speaking on background, the administration official said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke with the White House recently about the bridge but was not given a green light for it to open.
Invitations had already been sent out for a ribbon cutting event that was supposed to take place Friday to mark the opening of the $6.4-billion bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit.
But on Thursday morning, the interim chief executive of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said Canada and the U.S. agreed to delay the opening as the two countries attempt to “resolve any outstanding issues.”
Another source who is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter said Lutnick and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra intervened in the file this week.
Earlier this week, a Canadian source with knowledge of the planning — who is not authorized to speak publicly about it — said all signs Ottawa received indicated the bridge was cleared to open.
Whitmer’s office has not yet responded to a question about whether the bridge had all the technical approvals to proceed.
During a Senate hearing last week, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said his personnel were ready to move once the bridge opened. Mullin added “there’s still negotiations between Canada and the United States” outside of his department that will need to be resolved.
The White House official said Lutnick has been spearheading action on the bridge since earlier this year.
The New York Times reported that Matthew Moroun, whose family owns the competing Ambassador Bridge, met with Lutnick just before Trump issued a social media post in February threatening to block the bridge’s opening if the United States wasn’t compensated.
The Gordie Howe bridge project has long faced heavy pushback from members of the billionaire Moroun family, who are longtime Republican donors.
House Democrats earlier this year launched an investigation into whether the Morouns took action to obstruct the bridge’s opening.
The probe calls for Lutnick and Moroun to hand over documents related to their meeting and other communications with the White House about the bridge, among other things.
When asked about a Detroit News report that Canada — through the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority — abruptly postponed the ribbon-cutting event over concerns about a backlash from Lutnick and Hoekstra, Prime Minister Mark Carney said it was “not true.”
Carney reiterated his comments from Thursday — that the pause was requested by the U.S. administration to resolve outstanding issues. He did not offer details about the nature of those issues.
“This is an asset for both countries and our people, most fundamentally, that’s going to exist for decades,” Carney told reporters in Paris, where he’s attending the G7. “So if we need to take a few more weeks to get it right and get it launched, we’ll do that.”
Ottawa signed the 2012 bridge deal with former governor Rick Snyder, a Republican. Canada agreed to shoulder the cost of construction and to recoup its investment through tolls, after which the money would be split with the state.
The bridge’s ownership is shared between Michigan and the Government of Canada. It is named after legendary Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe, who led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup victories.
Trump himself endorsed the bridge project during his first term.
After Trump’s February social media post about the bridge, Canada and Michigan continued quietly working toward its opening.
Whitmer’s office said Thursday “Michigan secured a great deal on the financing of this bridge: we haven’t paid a dime, yet we will reap significant economic benefits for decades.”
But state Republican House Speaker Matt Hall, a Trump ally, told reporters Thursday that it was a “very bad deal.” He called for the state to get toll revenues immediately, despite Canada shouldering the construction costs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2026.
— With files from Catherine Morrison in Paris
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
