Notice2025-18010
Request for Public Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Relating to the Operation of the Agreement Between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada
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Published
September 17, 2025
Issuing agencies
Trade Representative, Office of United States
Abstract
USTR is commencing a public consultation process in advance of the joint review (Joint Review) of the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA or Agreement) on July 1, 2026. As directed by Congress, USTR is seeking public comments on the operation of the Agreement, including on the operation of the North American Competitiveness Committee (Competitiveness Committee) established therein.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 178 (Wednesday, September 17, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 17, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44869-44871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-18010]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Nos. USTR-2025-0004 and USTR-2025-0005]
Request for Public Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Relating
to the Operation of the Agreement Between the United States of America,
the United Mexican States, and Canada
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing.
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SUMMARY: USTR is commencing a public consultation process in advance of
the joint review (Joint Review) of the Agreement between the United
States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA or
Agreement) on July 1, 2026. As directed by Congress, USTR is seeking
public comments on the operation of the Agreement, including on the
operation of the North American Competitiveness Committee
(Competitiveness Committee) established therein.
DATES:
[[Page 44870]]
November 3, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submitting written
comments and requests to appear at the hearing. The request to appear
must include a summary of testimony.
November 17, 2025: USTR will hold a public hearing in the main
hearing room of the U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street
SW, Washington, DC 20436, beginning at 10 a.m. If necessary, the
hearing may continue the next business day.
Seven calendar days after the last day of the public hearing, at
11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of post-hearing rebuttal
comments.
ADDRESSES: Submit documents in response to this notice, including
written comments, hearing appearance requests, and summaries of
testimony through the online USTR portal: <a href="https://comments.ustr.gov/s/">https://comments.ustr.gov/s/</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randall Oliver, Director for Canada,
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e4b6858a80858888cab0caab888d928196a491979096ca818b94ca838b92"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b4e6d5dad0d5d8d89ae09afbd8ddc2d1c6f4c1c7c0c69ad1dbc49ad3dbc2">[email protected]</span></a> or 202.395.9449, or Braeden Young,
Director for Mexico, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#16546477737273783846384f7963787156636562643873796638717960"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b4f6c6d5d1d0d1da9ae49aeddbc1dad3f4c1c7c0c69ad1dbc49ad3dbc2">[email protected]</span></a> or 202.395.9620.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The USMCA entered into force on July 1, 2020.\1\ Article 34.7 of
the USMCA provides for the Agreement to terminate 16 years after the
date of entry into force, unless each Party confirms that it wishes to
continue the Agreement for a new 16-year term. Article 34.7 of the
USMCA requires the Free Trade Commission (Commission), which is
composed of government representatives of the United States, Mexico,
and Canada (collectively, the Parties), to meet on the sixth
anniversary of entry into force (i.e., July 1, 2026) to conduct a Joint
Review of the operation of the Agreement, evaluate any recommendations
for action submitted by a Party, and decide on any appropriate actions.
As part of the Commission's Joint Review, each Party must confirm if it
wishes to extend the term of the Agreement.\2\ In addition, a Party
wishing to make a recommendation for the Commission to take action must
do so at least one month before the Joint Review meeting takes place
(by June 1, 2026).
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\1\ The full text of the UMSCA is available at <a href="https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement/agreement-between">https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement/agreement-between</a>.
\2\ See USMCA, art. 34.7 (establishing the Joint Review and
process for each Party to confirm its wishes regarding extension of
the Agreement).
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Pursuant to Section 611 of the United States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 4611), prior to the Joint
Review, USTR must provide an opportunity for the presentation of views
relating to the operation of the USMCA, including a public hearing. To
assist USTR as it develops positions and recommendations for the Joint
Review, USTR invites interested persons to submit written comments
(Part II) or oral testimony (Part III) on matters relevant to the Joint
Review.
As part of this process, this notice also invites comments from
interested persons on the Competitiveness Committee established under
Article 26.1 of the USMCA to develop and implement cooperative
activities in support of a strong economic environment that
incentivizes production in North America, among other purposes. To
date, the Competitiveness Committee has focused on expanding trilateral
cooperation on North American workforce development issues and
maintaining North American trade flows during emergency situations.\3\
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\3\ See Decision No. 5 of the Free Trade Commission of the
CUSMA, T-MEC, and USMCA (``The Agreement'') (Feb. 2023), <a href="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/agreements/usmca/DECISION%205%20VI.PDF">https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/agreements/usmca/DECISION%205%20VI.PDF</a>; Addendum to Decision No. 5 of the Free Trade
Commission of the CUSMA, T-MEC, and USMCA (``Addendum'') (May 2024),
<a href="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/Addendum%20to%20USMCA%20FTC%20Decison%20No.%205.pdf">https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/Addendum%20to%20USMCA%20FTC%20Decison%20No.%205.pdf</a>.
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II. Request for Public Comments
Interested persons must submit written comments using the docket
titled ``Request for Comments on the Operation of the Agreement between
the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada,''
docket number USTR-2025-0004, using the electronic portal at <a href="https://comments.ustr.gov/s/">https://comments.ustr.gov/s/</a> and following the instructions in Part IV below.
To be assured of consideration, USTR must receive written comments by
11:59 p.m. EST on November 3, 2025. Additional instructions on how to
submit written comments are provided below in Part IV.
In particular, this notice invites comments regarding:
<bullet> Any aspect of the operation or implementation of the
USMCA.
<bullet> Any issues of compliance with the Agreement.
<bullet> Recommendations for specific actions that USTR should
propose ahead of the Joint Review to promote balanced trade, new market
access, and alignment on economic security with Mexico and Canada.
<bullet> Factors affecting the investment climate in North America
and in the territories of each Party, as well as the effectiveness of
the USMCA in promoting investment that strengthens U.S.
competitiveness, productivity, and technological leadership.
<bullet> Strategies for strengthening North American economic
security and competitiveness, including collaborative work under the
Competitiveness Committee, and cooperation on issues related to non-
market policies and practices of other countries.
III. Hearing Participation
USTR will convene a public hearing on November 17, 2025, at 10:00
a.m. EST, in the Main Hearing Room at the U.S. International Trade
Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. If necessary, the
hearing will continue the next business day. Persons wishing to appear
at the hearing must provide written notification of their intention and
a summary of the proposed testimony by November 3, 2025. Requests to
appear must include a summary of testimony, and may be accompanied by a
prehearing submission. Remarks at the hearing are limited to five
minutes to allow for possible questions. Because the hearing will be
public, testimony should not include any business confidential
information (BCI).
Small businesses (generally defined by the Small Business
Administration as firms with fewer than 500 employees) or organizations
representing small business members that submit comments should self-
identify as such, so that USTR may be aware of issues of particular
interest to small businesses.
Interested persons must submit their request to appear and a
summary of the testimony using the docket titled ``Request to Appear at
the Hearing on the Operation of the Agreement between the United States
of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada,'' docket number
USTR-2025-0005, using the electronic portal at <a href="https://comments.ustr.gov/s/">https://comments.ustr.gov/s/</a> and following the instructions in Part IV below.
To be assured of consideration, USTR must receive the request to appear
and the summary of testimony by November 3, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. EST.
Post-hearing rebuttal comments, which should be limited to
rebutting or supplementing testimony presented at the hearing, may be
submitted within seven calendar days after the last day of the public
hearing. Rebuttal comments must be submitted to the appropriate docket
titled ``Request for Comments on the Operation of the Agreement between
the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada,''
docket number USTR-2025-0004, using the
[[Page 44871]]
electronic portal at <a href="https://comments.ustr.gov/s/">https://comments.ustr.gov/s/</a> and following the
instructions in Part IV.
IV. Procedures for Written Submissions
To be assured of consideration, submit written comments, requests
to appear at the hearing, summaries of testimony, and post-hearing
rebuttal comments using the appropriate dockets on the portal at
<a href="https://comments.ustr.gov/s/">https://comments.ustr.gov/s/</a> and as detailed in Parts II and III. All
submissions must be in English. You do not need to establish an account
to submit comments or a request to testify. The first screen allows you
to enter identification and contact information. Third party
organizations such as law firms, trade associations, or customs brokers
should identify the full legal name of the organization they represent
and identify the primary point of contact for the submission. USTR may
not consider a comment or request if insufficient information is
provided.
You may upload documents and indicate whether USTR should treat the
documents as business confidential or public information. Any page
containing BCI must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' on the
top of that page and the submission should clearly indicate, via
brackets, highlighting, or other means, the specific information that
is BCI. If requesting confidential treatment, you must certify in
writing that the information would not customarily be released to the
public. Interested persons uploading attachments containing BCI also
must submit a public version of their comments.
Daniel Watson,
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Western Hemisphere, Office
of the United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2025-18010 Filed 9-16-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F4-P
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