WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) released the following statement after the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai, announced a formal request to establish a United States- Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) dispute settlement panel to challenge the Mexican Government’s unscientific ban of American-grown corn:
“I remain very concerned by Mexico’s failure to live up to its USMCA commitments in several sectors, particularly agriculture and energy. I fully expect the Biden Administration to use all available tools to ensure compliance. American farmers rely on stable access to foreign markets, like Mexico, to keep the family farm running. When I met with President López Obrador earlier this year, I made clear that Mexico must follow the rules and treat American farmers fairly.
“USMCA’s new and improved enforcement mechanism was key to the overwhelming bipartisan support the agreement received in Congress. The Biden Administration must use this powerful tool to enforce the agreement in its entirety, not just the labor and environment chapters. Further, this situation is prime evidence for why the Biden Administration’s pursuit of fake trade agreements that cannot be enforced when our partners break the rules is setting American workers and businesses up for uncertainty and even financial failure in the future. Ambassador Tai made the right call challenging Mexico’s unscientific ban of American agricultural exports.”
Timeline: USMCA Enforcement of Mexico’s Ban on American-Grown Corn
Chairman Smith successfully pressed the Biden Administration to take the first steps toward enforcing USMCA over Mexico’s ban of American-grown corn:
- February 15, 2023: Chairman Smith and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Smith write U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to urge the Biden Administration to ensure that Mexico abides by its obligations under the USMCA and allow American farmers to sell U.S. grown corn and other American-made agriculture products on the Mexican market.
- March 6, 2023: U.S. Trade Representative Tai announces the first step toward invoking a USMCA dispute settlement mechanism to challenge Mexico’s ban on U.S. grown corn and other American-made agriculture products.
- March 13, 2023: A bipartisan congressional delegation, led by Chairman Smith, meets with Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City to underline that Mexico must follow USMCA rules and undo this ban.