Border Trade Alliance warns against uncertainty following reports on USMCA renewal

Group urges three governments to pursue reforms that strengthen USMCA while preserving the certainty and market integration that have defined North American trade

WASHINGTON—Border Trade Alliance Chairman Pete Sepulveda Jr. and BTA President Britton Mullen released the following statement in response to reports that the United States intends to inform Canada and Mexico that it will decline to extend the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) under the agreement’s six-year review process:

“The Border Trade Alliance is concerned that any sign that the U.S. might eventually exit USMCA injects unnecessary uncertainty into the future of North American trade at a time when businesses need stability to invest, hire, and grow.

“For more than three decades, free trade among the U.S., Mexico, and Canada has helped build one of the world’s most competitive economic regions, supporting millions of jobs, strengthening supply chains, lowering costs, and expanding opportunities on both sides of our borders. That integrated framework should not be taken for granted.

“We strongly support modernizing USMCA where appropriate. We have deep concerns, however, about any action that would dismantle or weaken the trilateral framework that underpins North American commerce.

“Still, the review process will move forward, and the agreement stays in place while negations continue. We urge all three governments to pursue reforms that strengthen USMCA while preserving the certainty and market integration that have made North America more competitive.

“The stakes are high, affecting the manufacturers, farmers, retailers, transportation providers, border communities, and consumers that comprise the dynamic North American economy.”

About the Border Trade Alliance

Since 1986, the BTA has served as a grassroots, non-profit organization that provides a forum for discussion and advocacy on issues pertaining to border development and quality of life and trade in the Americas. A network of public and private sector representatives from the United States, Mexico and Canada, BTA’s core values include a commitment to improving the quality of life of border communities through trade and commerce. The BTA is online at thebta.org and @borderalliance.

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