The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has opened a public consultation ahead of the 2027 annual joint review of the Agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada (USMCA), a review that takes place because the United States did not agree to extend the pact at its first joint review in July 2026. Written comments and requests to testify are due January 12, 2027.

USTR announced the consultation on October 2, and the formal notice appeared in the Federal Register on October 5. “As directed by Congress, USTR is seeking public comments on the operation of the USMCA,” the agency said in its announcement. The notice is signed by Daniel O’Brien, Acting Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Western Hemisphere, and says USTR will also hold a public hearing. The date and location of that hearing have not been set and will be posted on the USTR website.

How the review clock works

The USMCA entered into force on July 1, 2020. According to the notice, Article 34.7.1 of the agreement provides that it terminates 16 years after entry into force unless each party confirms that it wishes to continue the agreement for a new 16-year term.

The Free Trade Commission, made up of the three parties, met on July 1, 2026, to conduct the first joint review of the agreement’s operation. “At that meeting, the United States did not agree to extend the Agreement for a new 16-year term,” the notice states. It does not describe the positions taken by Mexico or Canada.

As a result, under Articles 34.7.4 to 34.7.6, the commission will meet to conduct a joint review every year until all three parties confirm they want another 16-year term, or until the agreement expires, whichever comes first. USTR said it is publishing the notice under Section 611 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 4611), which provides for public input on the operation of the agreement.

What USTR is asking for

The notice invites written comments on five areas:

  • any aspect of the operation or implementation of the USMCA;
  • any issues of compliance with the agreement;
  • recommendations for specific actions USTR should propose ahead of the joint review;
  • factors affecting the investment climate in North America and in each party’s territory, and how well the agreement promotes investment that strengthens U.S. competitiveness, productivity and technological leadership;
  • strategies for strengthening North American economic security and competitiveness, and cooperation on non-market policies and practices of other countries.

Comments go through USTR’s online portal under docket USTR-2026-0595. Requests to appear at the hearing, which must include a summary of testimony, go under docket USTR-2026-0596. Both are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on January 12, 2027. Oral remarks will be limited to five minutes, and because the hearing is public, testimony may not include business confidential information. Post-hearing rebuttal comments are due seven calendar days after the last day of the hearing.

Written submissions that contain business confidential information must be marked as such, include a certification and be accompanied by a public version, according to the notice. Small businesses, generally firms with fewer than 500 employees, and groups representing them are asked to identify themselves as such.

Labor enforcement continues alongside the review

The consultation opened on the same day USTR announced its latest outcome under the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM). On October 2, the United States and Mexico agreed a course of remediation at Corporación de Occidente, S.A. de C.V., a maker of automotive and specialty tires in El Salto, Jalisco. USTR said it was the 14th time the two governments had agreed a formal course of remediation under the mechanism.

The case began with a petition from two dismissed workers, received on October 28, 2025, alleging that the company and the incumbent union’s leadership acted together to dismiss and retaliate against workers who criticized the union. According to USTR, Mexico concluded on January 23, 2026, that a denial of rights had not occurred, but the company then agreed to remedial steps. These include reinstating 12 dismissed workers with full backpay and benefits, or paying full severance, depending on each worker’s preference; training staff on freedom of association; and setting up an anonymous complaint channel.

Why it matters

For manufacturers, distributors and logistics providers with operations across North America, the July outcome changes the planning horizon. Instead of a single review that could have locked in a new 16-year term, the agreement’s future is now revisited every year. If no extension is confirmed, it runs to the end of its current term in 2036, 16 years after entry into force, under the article cited in the notice.

The comment topics also show where USTR is directing attention: compliance, the investment climate, North American economic security and the trade practices of countries outside the agreement. Companies that depend on cross-border sourcing have a window of just over three months to put their experience on the record before the 2027 meeting.

What to watch

USTR has not yet announced the hearing date or venue, and the notice does not give a date for the 2027 joint review meeting itself. The rebuttal deadline will be fixed once the hearing schedule is set.