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USTR weighs in on USMCA updates prior to July review

The U.S. Trade Representative says he would like to see changes made to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to better support American agriculture.

Ambassador Jamieson Greer says USTR has been meeting with Mexico to discuss the terms prior to the joint review this summer.

“We’ve been focused on Rules of Origin and economic security,” he says. “We’ve been talking about sectors that we need to resort to North America and to the United States. We look forward to working on all of these topics.”

During a U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Wednesday, Chairman Jason Smith of Missouri said the lack of enforcement surrounding the deal is concerning.

“We have seen how benefits can fail to materialize for American producers when trade agreements are not robustly enforced,” he says. “This administration must be vigilant and focus on enforcing the commitments trading partners made.”

Ranking member Richard Neal (D, MA) says negotiations with Canada have been a challenge.

“It doesn’t look as though the Canadians are as receptive to some of the overtures that are being made, if at all,” he says. “We’re proud of this economic relationship and it looks like from here, we’re not going to meet the deadline.”

The U.S., Mexico, and Canada are scheduled to meet in July for review.