US Declines to Renew USMCA at First Joint Review, Triggering Decade of Annual Reviews

The USMCA Free Trade Commission held its first mandatory joint review on July 1, 2026, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer notifying Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc that the United States would not agree to renew the trade pact for a further 16 years. The USMCA remains legally in force and does not terminate; instead it enters a decade-long cycle of mandatory annual reviews, with the agreement set to expire in July 2036 absent a future agreement to extend it. Ebrard said Mexico would engage constructively with the annual review process 'without rushing,' while President Sheinbaum said an extension remains possible 'any time' the three governments reach agreement. Bilateral negotiating rounds on automotive rules of origin, steel and aluminum trade, and economic security continued, with a further US-Mexico round scheduled for the week of July 20.