Agricultural Trade Groups Waiting on Congress and USMCA

(WASHINGTON, DC) The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed by the three governments last December. Under the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) provisions, the International Trade Commission (ITC) must conduct an economic assessment of the agreement by mid-March before the Trump Administration can send final agreement text to Congress. With ITC closed for more than a month, the assessment will likely be delayed, pushing the remaining TPA timetable into late summer or early fall. That challenge, plus a new Congress with more than 90 House members unfamiliar with USMCA, could mean the agreement may not be ratified this year. Under that scenario, existing Section 232 steel and aluminum retaliatory tariffs by Canada and Mexico on many U.S. ag and food commodities could remain in place.