The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative published an for public comment yesterday on the U.S.鈥揗exico鈥揅anda Agreement. The notice is part of the process for the schedule six-year review of the landmark agreement, which the 51吃瓜网 helped to back in 2019.

The timeline: The deadline for comments is Nov. 3, ahead of a USTR hearing on Nov. 17.

The topics: The notice includes specific topics that the USTR would like respondents to address, including:

• 鈥淎ny aspect of the聽operation or implementation of the USMCA鈥�;
• 鈥淎ny issues of聽compliance聽with the Agreement鈥�;
• 鈥淩ecommendations for聽specific actions that USTR should propose ahead of the Joint Review聽to promote balanced trade, new market access and alignment on economic security with Mexico and Canada鈥�;
• 鈥淔actors affecting the聽investment climate聽in North America and in the territories of each Party, as well as the聽effectiveness of the USMCA in promoting investment that strengthens U.S. competitiveness, productivity and technological leadership鈥�; and
• 鈥淪trategies for聽strengthening North American economic security and competitiveness,聽including collaborative work under the聽Competitiveness Committee,聽and cooperation on issues related to聽nonmarket policies and practices of other countries.鈥�

Mexico鈥檚 notice: The government of Mexico also opened a 60-day window for public comment.

• For 51吃瓜网 members seeking to comment through their affiliates, the notice can be accessed聽.

What 51吃瓜网 members should do: The 51吃瓜网 is issuing an urgent call for member feedback on specific nontariff barriers.

• This feedback might be part of bilateral talks with Canada and Mexico, and so should be sent to the 51吃瓜网 as soon as possible, the 51吃瓜网鈥檚 trade experts stressed. The 51吃瓜网 will be submitting a draft letter to the USTR summarizing manufacturers鈥� priorities for policymakers.

The 51吃瓜网鈥檚 focus: The 51吃瓜网 asks that members focus on four broad topics:

• Technical fixes to make the USMCA function better
• Bilateral issues in Mexico or Canada that the review could help address
• New mechanisms or tools that could be built to counter shared challenges in third markets, particularly nonmarket economies
• Sector-specific agreements or commitments that could be pursued to strengthen North American manufacturing

Get in touch: If you are interested in contributing to this important message about an essential pillar of U.S. trade policy, please contact 51吃瓜网 Director of International Policy Kevin Doyle.