North America Must Choose Certainty on USMCA

Isabel Quiroz
Executive Director, U.S.-Mexico Economic Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director, U.S.-Canada Business Initiative, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Published

July 20, 2026

As the United States and Mexico head into a third round of USMCA review discussions in Mexico City, negotiators have an important opportunity to strengthen one of America’s most consequential trade relationships.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is not just another trade agreement. It is the foundation of North American commerce and a cornerstone of American competitiveness. The private sector understands what is at stake, and the U.S. Chamber will continue doing what it does best: making the case for clear rules, strong enforcement, and the certainty businesses need to invest, hire, and grow.

Why USMCA Matters

USMCA supports American workers, farmers, manufacturers, service providers, and consumers. Trade with Canada and Mexico supports 13 million American jobs, and the agreement helps keep North American supply chains efficient, resilient, and globally competitive.

The agreement also ensures that virtually all U.S. exports enter Canadian and Mexican markets tariff-free. That matters on the factory floor, on the family farm, at the grocery store, and around the kitchen table. U.S. manufacturers export more made-in-America goods to Canada and Mexico than to the next 12 largest export markets combined. Canada and Mexico are also the top export destinations for more than 100,000 small- and medium-sized American businesses.

Agriculture shows why this agreement is so important. Canada and Mexico account for one-third of U.S. agricultural exports. North American food and agriculture supply chains are deeply integrated: grains, oilseeds, meat, feed, beef, pork, fruits, and vegetables move across borders in ways that help producers reach customers and help families access affordable food year-round.

USMCA is also a practical affordability tool. Tariff-free trade in North America helps keep food and agricultural supply chains predictable and cost-effective. Reversing those tariff preferences would raise food prices and add pressure on households and businesses already managing elevated costs.

Why It Matters to Business of All Sizes

For business, USMCA provides what every job creator needs: certainty.

The agreement contains modern, high-standard rules that support market access, digital trade, cross-border data flows, science-based agricultural standards, customs modernization, investment, and dispute settlement. These provisions help prevent trade irritants from escalating into broader disputes and give companies the confidence to plan for the long term.

For more than three decades, the Chamber has championed North American trade because clear, enforceable rules help businesses compete, export, and create opportunity at home. That longstanding commitment continues with USMCA. The Chamber has supported congressional letters, helped lead a coalition of more than 500 business organizations backing USMCA before USTR, and carried that message directly to policymakers.

On June 10, Neil Herrington, Senior Vice President of the Americas Program at the U.S. Chamber, testified before the House Committee on Agriculture on USMCA’s importance to American agriculture. On June 25, the Chamber brought a broad coalition of business partners to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional offices and deliver a straightforward message: preserve the trilateral framework, insist on full compliance, and complete the review in a way that delivers certainty.

What the Third Round Must Deliver

As negotiators meet for the third round, the U.S. Chamber’s recommendations are clear.

First, USMCA must remain trilateral. Even if this round is centered on U.S.-Mexico discussions, Canada must remain engaged. Fragmenting the framework would increase compliance costs, disrupt supply chains, and weaken the region’s competitiveness.

Second, all three countries must come to the table ready to comply with and enforce the agreement. USMCA is only as strong as its implementation. Where obligations are not being met, the parties should use the review to address those issues directly and constructively.

Third, negotiators should preserve the agreement’s core strengths, including tariff-free access, transparent customs procedures, science-based regulatory commitments, digital trade rules, and effective dispute settlement. Any updates should be targeted, practical, and focused on strengthening—not weakening—the agreement.

Fourth, the review should be transparent, orderly, and completed in a way that gives businesses confidence to invest. Prolonged uncertainty would make it harder for companies to strengthen supply chains, expand operations, and support workers and communities.

Although the agreement remains in force, the review process matters. It should be used to reinforce the foundation of North American trade, not reopen settled rules in ways that create uncertainty or undermine growth.

North American trade has long been a Chamber priority for a simple reason: it works. When the United States, Mexico, and Canada operate under clear, enforceable, and pro-growth rules, American businesses win—and so do the workers, families, farmers, and communities they support.