USMCA Gets the Side-Eye

USMCA is back in Washington’s policy pen, and the gate latch is making concerning noises. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would do better as a country without the trade agreement he signed during his first term. Ah yes, the classic Washington move: frame the family recipe, then ask whether dinner would be better without it.

The setup: The agreement faces a required review beginning July 1. Farm and business groups are calling for a full 16-year renewal, while Trump continues to question whether the U.S. needs the trilateral deal.

By the numbers:

·       Mexico was the largest U.S. agricultural trading partner in 2025 at $74.5 billion in combined trade.

·       Canada is close behind at $67.5 billion.

·       U.S. ag exports to Canada and Mexico have grown 47% since USMCA took effect.

Farm chorus: Nearly 160 North American food and agriculture organizations urged trade officials to renew and strengthen the deal. They are not exactly asking for a trade-policy scrapbook. They want less uncertainty, more predictability and fewer tariff potholes in the lane.

Why it matters: North American ag supply chains are more braided than a county fair horse mane. Messing with USMCA may be negotiation theater, but farmers, meat processors, dairy exporters and produce shippers all have front-row seats and the popcorn is expensive.