Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) joined New Dem Trade and Tariffs Task Force Chair Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), Global Competitiveness Task Force Chair Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-04), and 26 New Dem colleagues in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer calling on him to retain and, if possible, strengthen the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), warning that prolonged uncertainty over the agreement threatens American jobs, hurts workers, raises costs for families, and undermines North American competitiveness. This follows the administration’s decision not to extend the agreement on July 1.
USMCA supports roughly 13 million American jobs and nearly $2 trillion in annual trilateral trade, serving as the backbone of integrated North American supply chains in agriculture, manufacturing, and the automotive sector. Allowing uncertainty surrounding the agreement to persist will discourage long-term investment, weaken U.S. competitiveness, and ultimately increase prices on everyday goods for American consumers already struggling with high costs.
The letter reads in part:
“USMCA is a cornerstone of North American competitiveness, American agriculture, and an essential tool for cross-border cooperation. The more the renewal negotiations drag on, the more uncertainty compounds across supply chains and puts at risk the 13 million American jobs and $2 trillion in trilateral trade this agreement supports. While there are important issues that need to be addressed, the core agreement must be retained to enable American workers, businesses, and communities to continue to prosper in the future.”
Through the Coalition’s Governing Agenda, New Dems have championed policies that strengthen domestic manufacturing, reinforce resilient supply chains, expand trade with trusted allies, with the goal of lowering costs for working families. At a time when businesses need certainty to invest and grow, New Dems are urging the Administration to move quickly to preserve the foundation of North American trade while working collaboratively with Canada and Mexico to modernize the agreement, address outstanding labor and trade concerns, and ensure countries like China cannot exploit loopholes in the North American market.
This letter comes after New Democrat Coalition members penned a letter to Ambassador Greer in November 2025 calling on negotiators to “update and expand the existing framework without undermining the successes and essential components” that have benefited all parties of the agreement.
The full letter can be found here, and below:
Dear Ambassador Greer,
Following the Administration’s decision not to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for another 16 years, we write to express our strong support for retaining and enhancing, not exiting, the existing agreement. USMCA is a cornerstone of North American competitiveness, American agriculture, and an essential tool for cross-border cooperation. The more the renewal negotiations drag on, the more uncertainty compounds across supply chains and puts at risk the 13 million American jobs and $2 trillion in trilateral trade this agreement supports. While there are important issues that need to be addressed, the core agreement must be retained to enable American workers, businesses, and communities to continue to prosper in the future.
The decision not to extend USMCA has profound consequences for American businesses and consumers, creating the kind of uncertainty that discourages investment, unnecessarily complicates supply chains, and decreases U.S. competitiveness. Most supply chains require thirty-year lead times to be built, not just five, especially in manufacturing industries where factories can take years to become operational. The longer the negotiations drag on, the more uncertainty will result, and there will be fewer incentives to invest. A destabilized USMCA would ripple through the entire economy and weigh on growth and employment in every sector. Leaving USMCA will result in job losses in any industry dependent on trade with Mexico and Canada, including the agricultural, automobile, and advanced manufacturing sectors. Over time, the supply chain disruptions and the absence of tariff-free trade will raise costs for consumers whose cars, groceries, and other household goods depend on tightly interconnected production networks. Affordability has become a central concern for our constituents. Creating more frictions between Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. is going to make things more expensive here at home. Therefore, what might have seemed like an inconsequential deadline will likely result in profound economic impacts for decades to come.
With these consequences in mind, we urge you to use this review process to quickly reach a consensus with Mexico and Canada to strengthen the agreement and address key outstanding issues. These include our Section 232 “national security” tariffs, which were imposed without congressional oversight or efforts to coordinate with our neighbors. Additionally, any revisions to rules of origin and regional value content should be carefully calibrated to ensure that the continent remains an attractive destination for investment while also ensuring that labor concerns are addressed. Further, we should work with our trading partners to prevent any country, particularly China, from getting a duty-free back door into the North American market.
Finally, the U.S. relationship with Canada and Mexico goes beyond trade. President Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex Canada and turn it into the 51st U.S. state, as well as threatened to bomb targets in Mexico. At this precarious moment for cross-border relations, it is more important than ever that we renew confidence in our North American partnerships. That starts with quickly reaching an agreement to retain and, if possible, enhance the USMCA. We look forward to your prompt response as talks continue with Mexico and Canada in the coming weeks and months.
###
Issues: 119th Congress, Economy, Jobs, Economy, and Small Business