Smith: Mexico Must Be Held to All Its USMCA Commitments

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Lead Republican of the House Ways and Means Committee's Trade Subcommittee, released the following statement on the announcement United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai has requested dispute settlement consultations with Mexico over Mexico's recent energy policies under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):

"I commend Ambassador Tai for taking this important step in enforcing Mexico's obligations under USMCA. State of the art enforcement mechanisms were included in this trade agreement for a reason. Last week I urged President Biden to raise these energy policy concerns directly with President López Obrador, and I am encouraged by this progress.

"While this is welcome news, there is still work to be done. Mexico must be held to all its USCMA commitments, particularly regarding agriculture and policies related to biotechnology. I urge the Biden administration to push for enforcement of all elements of the USMCA, and I look forward to closely following this process and ensuring U.S. industries receive fair treatment in Mexico."

On July 12, Smith sent a letter to President Biden ahead of his meeting with Mexican President López Obrador. In the letter, Smith urged the president to seek commitments from Mexico on a full range of USMCA implementation concerns. Read the letter here.

USTR's announcement can be found here.