What To Expect from the USMCA Review?
The USMCA review is almost upon us. How exactly things will proceed is a bit unclear, as we've never done this sort of thing before, but July 1 is the six year anniversary of the USMCA's entry into force.
Topic
USMCA Sunset/Review Clause
24 posts
Could Congress Extend the USMCA for Another Term?
People have been assuming that the decision on whether to extend the USMCA for another term is up to President Trump, but based on the language of the USMCA related to the upcoming joint review, could Congress actually have the power to make this decision on its own?
USMCA Review and Extension Predictions
When the idea of an expiration clause was suggested during the NAFTA renegotiation, I was against it from the start, and Inu and I wrote a pretty critical piece about it at the time. A review is great, we said, let's definitely have reviews, and there are plenty of ways to do that.
Reviewing the USMCA
Pursuant to the review of the USMCA provided for in Article 34.7, USTR has requested comments and is holding a hearing. USTR's comments portal shows 1,515 comments submitted, so a lot of people had things to say!
Whither the Worker-Centered Trade Policy?
The Biden administration changed U.S. trade policy significantly when it adopted a “worker-centered” trade policy that justified entering into “frameworks” and not trade agreements. That policy didn’t win many accolades from the trade crowd. Many critics felt that it forewent critical opportunities by refusing to discuss market
Will USMCA Be Renewed in 2026?
At a Baker Institute event last week, C.J. Mahoney, who was a Deputy U.S. Trade Representative during the Trump administration, argued that renewal of the USMCA under the Article 34.7 review clause was unlikely to happen in 2026. He first provided some background on the provision:
... USMCA
Getting Ready for the USMCA Review
I noticed that the Canadians had started their preparation for the six year USMCA review and extension decision under Article 34.7, so I wrote a short piece for the Baker Institute about all this. This is the conclusion:
The USMCA review and extension process is new and untested, and
Katherine Tai on USMCA Dispute Settlement and the USMCA Six Year Review
At a Brookings event yesterday, Josh Meltzer of Brookings had some interesting exchanges with U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai on USMCA dispute settlement and the USMCA six year review. Here's the one on dispute settlement:
Meltzer: What I'd like to do is ask you a
The U.S. “Worker-Centered Trade Policy” is helping some workers in Mexico but not in America
This Labor Day post seeks to shed light on the Biden administration’s “worker-centered” trade policy. It argues that the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) misses a critical opportunity to strengthen workers’ rights in America. The agreement’s provisions exclude protections for the most vulnerable workers in
Senator Toomey on the USMCA Sunset Clause
This is from the Q & A at a recent AEI event with Senator Pat Toomey, hosted by Derek Scissors:
Derek Scissors: ... Let’s not talk about what we agree on. Let’s talk about what we might disagree on, or at least disagree partly on. And I’ll start