Trump Trade Chief Floats USMCA Withdrawal

As the Trump administration begins the scheduled process of reviewing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has raised the possibility of withdrawing from the trade agreement.

In a December 4 interview with Politico, Greer stated that exiting the agreement is “always a scenario,” clarifying that “The president’s view is he only wants deals that are a good deal. The reason why we built a review period into USMCA was in case we needed to revise it, review it or exit it.”

If the administration decides to exit the USMCA, it may instead negotiate bilateral agreements. The New York Times reports:

People familiar with the administration’s discussions say officials have considered turning the three-country agreement into two bilateral deals, reflecting their view that negotiations with Mexico have been easier than those with Canada. Mr. Greer confirmed the idea in his Politico interview, saying the United States’ relationship with Canada is “totally different” from the one it has with Mexico. A spokeswoman for [the U.S. trade representative] declined to comment further.

The Times also noted that despite these proposals, Trump is currently exempting USMCA-compliant goods from the tariffs he imposed on Canada and Mexico. These products comprise the vast majority of trade with the two countries.

The USMCA, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2020, requires its member nations to review it every six years. President Donald Trump, who originally negotiated the agreement, has pledged to renegotiate it next year.

Why We Must Withdraw

What are the implications for U.S. sovereignty? As we have repeatedly warned, the USMCA is a major step toward a full-blown EU-style North American Union. Although the mandatory six-year review presents an opportunity to restore U.S. sovereignty, it also poses a severe risk of further entangling the United States in globalist agreements. Exiting the USMCA would reverse much of the damage that the USMCA and NAFTA have inflicted on American independence. However, a revised multilateral deal — which remains extremely likely — could contain provisions further integrating the United States into a North American regional body, hastening the erosion of national sovereignty. Bilateral agreements, although generally less injurious of national sovereignty than multilateral ones, also risk containing such provisions.

Ultimately, the United States must completely exit the USMCA. Urge your U.S. representative and senators to enact legislation completely withdrawing the United States from this dangerous agreement.