On December 1, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intention to formally terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2019. Addressing the press aboard Air Force One, Trump stated that he will terminate the agreement within six months in an effort to get the U.S. Congress to move on implementing the United States-Mexico-Canada
Mexico
United States, Mexico and Canada Sign New Trade Agreement
On the sidelines of the international G-20 (Group of Twenty) forum in Buenos Aires, Argentina, U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed today the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), launching the formal process to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). During the signing ceremony,…
President Trump Comments on Trade to U.S. Governors
In wide-ranging remarks during a business session with U.S. governors, President Trump yesterday repeatedly broached the topic of international trade. The president reiterated his commitment to working on fair and reciprocal trade deals and highlighted specific trade issues:
- Mexico – “You know, with Mexico … we probably lose $130 billion a year…. And, at some
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Trade Deficit Increases in Trump’s First Year
The Department of Commerce has released its 2017 year-end report on U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, revealing a sharp increase in the overall trade deficit during President Trump’s first year in office. For 2017, the goods and services deficit increased to $566 billion, a $61.2 billion (12.1 %) increase from 2016. Exports…
Fifth Round of NAFTA Negotiations Concludes
Upon the conclusion of the fifth round of renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer issued the following statement:
“While we have made progress on some of our efforts to modernize NAFTA, I remain concerned about the lack of headway. Thus far, we have seen no evidence that…
U.S. Trade Representative Releases Updated NAFTA Negotiating Objectives
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has released an updated summary of U.S. objectives for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new objectives update the previous objectives published in July (see our July 18, 2017 update), and come after four rounds of negotiations among the United States,…
Fourth Round of NAFTA Negotiations Leaves All Parties Unsatisfied
After four rounds of negotiations, the United States, Canada and Mexico are beginning to express frustration concerning the discussions and proposals to revise and update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In an October 17 joint statement, the parties indicated that they have put forward “substantially all initial text proposals” but that these…
Congressional and Administration Leaders Drop Border Adjustment Tax
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) issued a joint statement yesterday on tax reform in which they announced that the controversial proposal for…
USTR Releases Summary of Objectives for NAFTA Renegotiation
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has released a detailed and comprehensive summary of the negotiating objectives for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In a brief statement upon the release, Lighthizer stated that the Trump administration will seek an agreement “that reduces the U.S. trade deficit and is fair for…
Canada and Mexico File Comments in Response to Executive Order Regarding Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits
In response to President Trump’s Executive Order 13786 (see our update of April 3, “Executive Order Calls for Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits”), the governments of Canada and Mexico have filed formal comments with the Department of Commerce ahead of the public hearing to be held on May 18, 2017.
While Mexico’s…
