Canada

“The 232s are doing nothing but allowing others to gain market share in the U.S.”

In a letter to Ross and Lighthizer, the associations say they “wish to underscore the importance of lifting tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and the removal of all retaliatory tariffs on trade among the parties.”

“Subjecting shipments from Canada and Mexico to a reciprocal threshold would place administrative and cost burdens on small businesses, increase complexity for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and start a global race to lower thresholds – undermining U.S. e-commerce leadership.”

Incoming Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said on Wednesday that if Democrats insist on re-opening trade talks with Canada and Mexico, the president should “pull out” of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A coalition of business groups focused on getting the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement through Congress is slated to be launched in the coming weeks, Inside U.S. Trade has learned.

Mexican legislation to establish labor reforms called for in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is unlikely to be passed before a Jan. 1 deadline included in the pact, leaving sources and lawmakers questioning whether the timing of the deal’s entry into force might be impacted.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement still has a ways to go before it can garner enough support among Democrats, several lawmakers said on Tuesday, with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) urging the parties to return to the negotiating table.

The president could issue a notice of withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement as early as next week, sources familiar with the plans told Inside U.S. Trade.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she held a “constructive” meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Thursday to discuss the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which she made clear was far from certain to win Democrats' approval.