AFTE Calls on Biden-Harris Administration To Improve USMCA Enforcement at Agreement’s Three-Year Anniversary
WASHINGTON (June 29, 2023) – Today, the Alliance for Trade Enforcement led a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai calling on her team to improve enforcement of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and bring Mexico into full compliance with the trade pact. The letter was joined by 16 trade associations, including AdvaMed, American Petroleum Institute, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Coalition for Services Industries, United States Chamber of Commerce, Motion Picture Association, National Association of Manufacturers, National Foreign Trade Council, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and United States Council for International Business.
“It’s been three years since USMCA entered into force and Mexico has unambiguously failed to fully implement the agreement and often takes action in direct contravention of its USMCA commitments,” said Brian Pomper, executive director of the Alliance for Trade Enforcement.
“While the Office of the United States Trade Representative has initiated enforcement proceedings to address certain unfair energy and biotechnology corn policies, more must be done to ensure that these and other issues are resolved for the U.S. and to enforce Mexico’s other USMCA commitments and maintain the credibility of the measures already taken.”
Mexico’s violations of the USMCA have far-reaching consequences for multiple industries and inflict significant damage on the U.S. economy. The Mexican government’s USMCA infractions include but are not limited to:
- Protectionist policies like content quotas that undercut access for U.S. film and television creators into the Mexican market
- Changes to Mexican copyright law that will undermine Mexico’s promises under USMCA
- A lack of competition in Mexico’s telecommunications sector
- Market access delays for U.S. biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technology products
- An inadequate patent protection system
- Unfair promotion of domestic energy companies
- Boxing out American financial service companies from the Mexican market
- Burdensome cloud services regulation
- Failure to create a risk-based chemical management system
“AFTE implores the Office of the United States Trade Representative to be aggressive in pursuing enforcement efforts to address Mexico’s repeated violations of the USMCA and setting an example in implementing enforcement outcomes,” said Pomper. “While the agreement is capable of fostering valuable trade and meaningful relationships between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, it will continue to fall short of expectations without proper implementation.”
The full list of signers consists of the following organizations:
- Alliance for Trade Enforcement
- ACT | The App Association
- AdvaMed
- American Petroleum Institute
- Biotechnology Innovation Organization
- Coalition for Services Industries
- Chamber of Commerce
- Motion Picture Association
- National Association of Manufacturers
- National Foreign Trade Council
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
- Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
- Software and Information Industry Association
- Telecommunications Industry Association
- Television Association of Programmers Latin America
- United States Council for International Business
About the Alliance for Trade Enforcement: The Alliance for Trade Enforcement is a coalition of trade associations and business groups that advocates for foreign governments to end unfair trade practices that harm U.S. innovative industries and supports U.S. policymakers in their efforts to hold our trading partners accountable.