Cargo containers sit in a New Jersey port along New York Harbor in New York City on April 14, 2026. [Photo/VCG]
The US decision not to support the extension of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement beyond 2036 is aimed at strengthening Washington's leverage in future trade talks rather than signaling an end to the pact, experts say.
Under the USMCA, the agreement remains in force until 2036. If all three parties agree during the review, the agreement can be extended for another 16 years.
Julian Castro-Rea, a political science professor at the University of Alberta, said Washington's decision should not be interpreted as an attempt to end the USMCA.
"The only thing US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer declared is that his country does not agree to extend the USMCA beyond 2036, until 2042.
