Day 638 — USMCA Mandatory Six-Year Joint Review: US Declines to Extend Agreement, Triggering Annual Review Process

On July 1, 2026 (Day 638), the USMCA Free Trade Commission held its mandatory six-year joint review under Article 34.7 of the trade agreement. Mexico and Canada had formally proposed renewing the agreement through 2042, but the United States declined to confirm its intention to extend USMCA for a new 16-year term, stating it 'did not agree to renew the USMCA in its current form.' The decision does not terminate the agreement; instead it triggers an annual joint-review mechanism under Article 34.7.4 that will repeat each year until the three parties either agree to an extension or the agreement's ten-year sunset clock runs out, expiring July 1, 2036 absent action. Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard represented Mexico at a virtual trilateral meeting held the same day. President Sheinbaum had said in the run-up that her government was 'calm' because Mexico had fulfilled its obligations under the review process, and that the outcome 'depends a lot on the U.S. government's position' — reiterating that the agreement serves the interests of all three countries. She noted the treaty's underlying ten-year renewal architecture would require passage through each country's congress if a contrary U.S. position persisted. USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer issued a separate statement on the U.S. position the same day. The outcome left North American trade relations in a state of managed uncertainty heading into the second half of 2026.