I want to start by noting that the House last night voted to repeal Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada—tariffs imposed in spite of the USMCA and without the support of Congress. Trump’s chaotic tariffs are losing support across the political spectrum. Now the Senate needs to get that legislation to the President’s desk and deliver some relief to American workers and businesses as soon as possible.
Now to today’s topic. The USMCA is a good agreement that passed with massive bipartisan support. This agreement promised to open up export opportunities for American farmers and businesses. It promised strong standards on labor and the environment.
But without strong enforcement, trade agreements aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. A trade agreement can’t achieve its intended goals unless it is strongly enforced. Since Trump took office last year, his U.S. Trade Representative has not begun a single enforcement case under USMCA. It hasn’t even taken a first step. As a direct result, there are real and legitimate concerns about USMCA not living up to its promises. The biggest culprit is a president who is more concerned with settling personal scores than putting American workers and businesses first. If the Executive Branch won’t do its job, then Congress needs to take back its Constitutional power over trade. I want Congress to have a bigger say on trade and tariffs, and on holding the Executive Branch accountable for enforcing trade deals.
For the first four years after the USMCA was implemented, things were looking up. Trilateral trade reached $1.9 trillion in 2024, up nearly $400 billion. U.S. manufacturing hit an all-time high of nearly $3 trillion in 2024. USMCA fueled over $60 billion in U.S. agricultural exports, finally opening the Mexican market for American fresh potatoes after over two decades of unsuccessful talks.
Then Trump took office. Since then, he’s randomly slapped tariffs on our USMCA partners. He’s wreaked havoc on our supply chains, chilled investment, and driven our allies towards our enemies. U.S. manufacturing contracted for the tenth straight month in December, with slumping orders and higher input costs. Exports to Canada—one of our top trading partners—have fallen 23 percent. Meanwhile, Canada is strengthening its economic partnership with China, which could have enormous impacts on American car manufacturers.
The Finance Committee is meeting today to discuss what comes next.
Early signs indicate that Trump is considering tearing up USMCA. Why? Because he wants to throw out tariff threats and bully other countries, no matter the damage to American jobs, trade or national security. If Donald Trump wants to yell at someone for not doing their job on USMCA, he should look in the mirror.
That fact is, USMCA delivered real wins for Americans.
- It included strong rules on labor and environment, and new enforcement tools, including the Brown-Wyden Rapid Response Mechanism.
- It created new opportunities for jobs and economic growth, in innovative sectors like digital trade and services.
- And it strengthened supply chains and political alliances with our neighbors, promoting North American competitiveness in global markets.
Without USMCA in place, supply chains would be disrupted. Prices would go up. America’s alliances would unravel, and North America’s workers, businesses, farmers, and ranchers would be much less able to compete with China and other big economies.
That’s why USMCA was backed by the broadest alliance I’ve seen in my time working on trade. Stakeholders across the political spectrum from labor to business to college professors pushed for USMCA’s passage. It got 89 votes here in the Senate—including folks who had never before voted for a trade agreement.
But USMCA can only reach its full potential if the U.S. enforces these strong rules. USTR should use this six-year review to deliver for American farmers, workers, and small businesses. USTR must ensure Americans get what they bargained for, but that’s going to take a partnership with Congress, a commitment to enforcement, and transparency with the public.
I will work with anyone that has a legitimate interest in crafting trade policy that puts American workers and businesses first, with real enforcement.
A web version of this statement is here.
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